


Eye of The Needle

by Cazio



Category: Terra Nova (TV)
Genre: Eye of The Needle, F/M, Lucket, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-07-01
Updated: 2012-07-01
Packaged: 2017-11-08 23:13:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 29,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/448620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cazio/pseuds/Cazio
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Skye has to destroy Lucas Taylor before he destroys the colony. What starts out as a rouge mission soon ends up with the two battling to decide just who's the hunter and who's the hunted. Season Finale Spoilers.</p><p>(still being updated)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Grindstone

**Author's Note:**

> Wow. I can't believe I wrote this only in December.  
> This has been transferred over from FF.net. This was my first story that got any traction, and was spurred thanks to the wonderful Lucket and Terra Nova Fandoms, I love you guys.

She couldn't help but hate him. The way he threatened to destroy her mother by throwing her from the canopy that the Sixers roamed. She would have thought he was just making a threat with no real backing, until she looked at his eyes. He was staring her dead in the face, his pearl jade irises were oozing with the weight of his words. He wasn't kidding. Other times, he almost tricked her into thinking that he loved her. Whether it was in a brotherly way or otherwise, she couldn't tell. Maybe if he hadn't held her mother at the brink of death, and maybe if he wasn't trying to kill the only father she had left, she really would think of him as a brother. But as she walked across the ruins of Terranova, she could only feel hatred stewing in the pit of her stomach.

His little stint at the bar really threw things out of whack. Her plan would be that much closer to working if Josh hadn't decided to be an idiot. She guessed it was in all the Shannon's blood, jumping to save everyone and fix everything. Sometimes she hated Josh as much as she hated Lucas. Why did he have to try and step in? She'd almost gotten Lucas into one of his calmer moods, the Lucas that was no longer focused on his father, just focused on getting her to quit trying to pull away from him. It was a sick little game he played, but Skye was beginning to get accustomed to it, if that was possible. She sighed, stopping at the steps of what used to be Commander Taylor's base of operations. It was the only building that looked pretty much the way it had before the Phoenix Group paid them a visit. She took a deep breath, already able to see Lucas sitting in his father's chair, his brain churning to find out how to get Mr. Shannon how to talk. That was where she would pin him, if he let her. She was banking on the fact that he was too focused on other things to see through her plot. She slowly made her way up the stairs, almost waiting for one of the guards to stop her. As she walked past without a hitch, she was disgusted with herself. She was a traitor, yet she wasn't. She spied, but she didn't really spy, as Mira so helpfully pointed out to her. She shook the disgust away, replacing it with a graceful smile as she entered the lofty space.

"Ah, if it isn't Skye, the one that made all of this possible." Lucas greeted her, a smirk playing on his lips. She shrugged, smiling, though her insides were twisting with hurt. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" He asked, pulling a long knife from his pocket. He proceeded to pull out a smooth stone, and started sharpening the knife, filling the room with the shrill sound of metal on rock. Her smile faltered slightly at the sight, and she couldn't help but think that the knife might soon find its way into her if her plan didn't work.

"Lucas, you can't kill him." She slowly started towards him, moving as if he were a wild tiger.

His eyes flickered, and she saw the somber look in his face that she'd become familiar with. His eyes could look so innocent, but when coupled with the slight frown on his lips it was impossible to tell what he was thinking. "And why not?" he asked plainly.

"Because…you just can't." She hadn't really planned this part out, and she was realizing that with every word she spoke. She made it to the side of the table in which he sat, placing her hands on the delicate glass surface.

"Hmm," He murmured with a low rumble. "You have a soft spot for the Shannon boy, don't you Bucket?" He asked softly, but when she met his eyes they were cold. She looked away.

"Its just that—" She was interrupted as Lucas carefully picked up one of her hands. She recoiled inwardly as he brought it to his lips, but told herself it was the only way Josh was going to get out alive. The kiss was soft, but the prickle of his stubble further reminded her that Lucas was no Prince Charming, he was a psychotic killer who'd lived in the wild. She slowly retracted her hand from his grip. She felt him tense at first, but then let her escape. For once.

"It's just that I don't see how it's going to help. If you kill Josh, you're going to have Jim Shannon trying to exact his revenge, and that will just get in the way."

Lucas's lips parted slightly, but then he turned away and started sharpening his knife again.

"Please Lucas. It would just complicate things." She felt her stomach flip, waiting for him to make a decision.

"I don't think you're right, Bucket, but I'll do it for you." He turned to face her once more, and she found herself locked in his gaze. Whether it was out of fear or shock, she didn't know. "Consider it a gift." He smiled slightly, one of those murderous little smiles she hated so much. As he turned away for the final time she felt a wave of relief, but sensed a falsity in his voice. She would really have to play up her gratitude. She winced inwardly at the thought of "sealing it with a kiss", that would probably make her throw up at this point. She finally gathered her last bit of willpower and hugged him from behind. She shut her eyes, trying to imagine that it was Josh, and it seemed to help, causing her to hug a little tighter. She felt the ripple of surprise run through him, and she felt his muscles tense as he waited for some sort of attack. In that moment she almost felt sorry for him, that he had to expect the worst from even the kindest gestures. And she almost felt worse about the fact that he was right to doubt her. "Thank you," She murmured into his shoulder, not able to say his name. Its Josh, you're hugging Josh.

She ended the hug quickly, feeling the bile rise in her throat as she caught the rugged scent of Lucas, not the clean colony smell that Josh had. She backed up, and hurried out of the room before Lucas could say anything. She broke into a run at the bottom of the stairs, tears prickling in her eyes as she imagined what her mother would say about what she'd just done. She darted through the remains of the marketplace and finally ducked under one of the fallen tents, unable to stifle her tears any longer. Her insides felt like they were caving in and she let her eyes burn with tears as she struggled to contain herself. Lucas would be searching for her soon enough and he would probably catch the red rim around her eyes and suspect something. She had her commands from his father, and she had to carry them out in order to save the colony from its doom.

"Control yourself." She commanded aloud, breathing deeply. She couldn't just break down like that after talking with her "brother", she needed to get better at handling this. For the colony's sake. Her breathing slowed a little, and she wiped her eyes, rubbing them clean as she heard a group of soldiers walk past.

"Its going to be quite a sight when the drills start rolling in." One of the soldier's whistled.

"Yeah, I just wonder why Taylor decided to hole up here for so long." The other soldier seemed a little uncomfortable with the whole situation.

"He's on some crazy mission to find his father. The guy's half insane, but he's smarter than anyone else here. In fact I was just…" the voices trailed off, and Skye found that she'd been holding her breath, waiting for them to discover her. Whatever it was, it had cleared up most of the signs of her collapse. If Lucas said anything about it, she'd make up some excuse about her mother. Lucas had reluctantly allowed her to stay in the care of Dr. Shannon after the explosion, and she was one of the few patients who was allowed full access to any medication she needed. If Lucas was trying to make up for something, she wasn't going to allow it. He tried to kill off her mother, there was no forgiveness in that. He'd even poisoned her nickname and turned it into some sort of pet name for her. She shivered, and crawled out from the tent. She would end Lucas Taylor, even if she had to do it herself.


	2. Remember

The evening sun was beating down on Terranova, but Skye was felt like she was in the middle of the arctic. She followed silently as Lucas and his little posse made their way to where Josh and Mr. Shannon were being held. She had decided to wear her red and white plaid jacket that she wore for her first visit OTG. It held a bit of adventure and bravery in the fabric, and she'd need every ounce of it to go through with her plan to get Lucas into Commander Taylor's clutches.

Lucas seemed to be enjoying himself, smiling brightly at colonists, who in turn shuddered and ducked away. It seemed that every terrified look gave him a little injection of comfort. Skye shoved her hands in her pockets, clenching them into fists. She couldn't see how he would like hurting others like this; his father was one thing, but innocent people? The group entered the building, and Skye took a shallow breath. Josh would be okay, and she had to trust that Lucas wouldn't kill Mr. Shannon. He'd left the knife back at Commander Taylor's base, after all.

"Here, Bucket." She felt an arm roll across her shoulders, and she staggered as Lucas leaned into her. Her nerves were sparking, and she didn't even realize that he was holding out a pistol with his free hand. He wiggled it, and she gingerly took it from his grasp. He pulled her in a little tighter, suffocating her in that nauseating scent of his. She felt dizzy as she pocketed the gun, not even registering that she was speaking.

"T-thanks."

He chuckled, and she could feel it roll through him as he gave her shoulder a little squeeze. In one swift movement, he was in front of her, his face inches form her own. Her eyes widened, unprepared for his sudden move. "Just remember this, Bucket. Remember that I don't go back on my word, okay?" She felt his breath on her face as he spoke, those pearl-jade eyes as luminescent as twin moons. He gave her a little shake, pressing his forehead to hers. She was terrified, her heart pounding in her throat. Every bit of his skin touching hers was eating at her like acid, and her mouth parted, trying to find some sort of response. Lucas's lips twitched. "Remember." He half-whispered.

As quickly as the moment lasted, it was over, leaving Skye paralyzed in the middle of the hallway as the rest of the entourage walked past. Had he seen through her plot? She couldn't help but feel that he was trying to tell her something else, and it made her feel a little sick. But if he figured out what she was doing, he would be angry, right? She doubted Lucas had the ability to contain his true feelings on anything that upset him, especially with his father out of his grasp. She started down the hall again, forcing one foot in front of the other. She had to make sure Josh was going ot be okay.

"Believe me, I wanted to kill you, young Shannon, but I was…persuaded otherwise." Lucas was saying as she stepped into the doorway. Josh looked worse than he had at the bar, but his eyes were as alive as ever as he threw her a desperate glance. He stood, looking back to Lucas, saying he would stand by his father. Skye inhaled sharply, seeing Lucas's shoulders tense.  _Way to go Josh!_  she hissed in her head. That was probably the worst thing he could have said to the guy who had such an awful relationship with his father. She held her breath, but Lucas seemed to feel her eyes on him, and waved the guards to escort him out. They certainly weren't being nice with him, but at least they weren't killing him. She bit her lip as they released him, overcome with relief. She started to walk out, hearing Josh stagger after her.

"Skye, thank—"

"Don't say it." She cut him off. "I started this, I'm just trying to right it. "

"Skye, if this is anyone's fault, its mine." Josh looked absolutely dreadful, his eye was swollen and his lip was puffed as if someone had given him a dose of collagen. Her eyes softened.

"No, Josh, its not. I gave him all the information he needed to take over the colony. I—" Josh grabbed her in a hug, cutting her off. Her lip trembled, and she returned the embrace. Josh had no right to think that any of this was his fault. He had enough to worry about with Kara. She felt him shudder, and realized he was crying. Her guts knotted up, feeling a little teary herself. She couldn't break down again. She pulled away, but kept her hands on Josh's shoulders.

"We don't have time to argue about this. You have to get back to your family, get out of here." She smiled as best she could, but a deep scream sounded from Lucas's torture room. She squeezed her eyes shut.

"I have to save my dad." Josh started back towards the room, but Skye grabbed his wrist.

"No, Josh, I can handle this." Josh looked uncertain, and cast a furtive glance towards the torture chamber. "I got you out, didn't I?" Skye reminded him, and he finally tore himself away, and headed for the door. Skye watched him go as a man nearly ran into him. Josh flinched, grabbing his bruised arm away and casting the man a glare as he stepped by. She realizedthe man as Lucas's employer, but he was almost unrecognizable. For one, he was sweating like a pig, and he looked white as a ghost. Something told her that she shouldn't try and get Lucas away from Mr. Shannon and wait and see what this guy would do.

Sure enough, a few seconds later Lucas walked out with a smile on his face. It brightened as he caught sight of her. She offered a weak smile in response, but Lucas didn't seem to care that she was faking. She prepared herself for one of his outrageous romantic attacks, and was surprised that he walked right by her without a word. She exhaled, and found herself almost disappointed as she felt the wind of his passing. She turned slowly, watching him leave the building without even glancing back. Whatever that guy said, it had worked. But why was she still waiting for him to turn around? She shrugged it off.  _He's just tricked me into expecting it, like some sort of Stockholm Syndrome,_ she growled in her head. The door clicked open behind her, and she turned to see Jim Shannon stumbling out of the room. He looked worse off than Josh, and Skye wondered how much Terranova's resident cop could take. But now, she had to get ready to carry out Commander Taylor's plan. She slipped out of the building and darted off into the now darkened colony.

Lucas's pistol was still bouncing around in Skye's pocket as she arrived at the hospital. The guards paid her no mind as the alarms signaling Mr. Shannon's release began to go off. She felt like the hospital had been taken over by ghosts. Clear plastic sheets replaced walls, and the floor was thick with dust and dried blood from explosion victims. It was oddly quiet, as nurses had left for the night or had gone over to the emergency ward. Sky felt her way through the sheets, feeling more like a thief than a savior. Commander Taylor needed medical supplies, and she knew it. She wouldn't take anything the hospital was low on, she'd seen Josh take the consequences for that. So she grabbed the basics, fever reducers, sleep aides, and pain reducers. She took a bit of a risk and grabbed some morphine and an IV bag. After the explosion, she wasn't sure if some of the soldiers were still in pain. Morphine came practically by the truckload with the previous pilgrimages, and there was probably enough left for anyone who needed it. She pulled a small backpack from her old locker, and stuffed her treasures inside, looking around for any soldiers that might have spotted her.

Before she left, she spied a young soldier lying on a stretcher. He looked dead, but the monitor on his bedside kept track of his slow heartbeat. She blinked, not even realizing that Phoenix soldiers were sent here, but she guessed there was nowhere else for them to go anyway. What really caught her interest however was the pistol sticking out from his belongings. It was a newer model than the usual guns in Terranova, and the soldier probably wouldn't notice it being gone….she tucked it in the backpack. Maybe one of the colony soldiers could figure out something to do with it.

Within moments she was back in the middle of the frenzy, when a huge explosion sounded from just above her. Before she knew it she was on the ground, but glad to have landed on her stomach intstead of on her backpack, but it hurt nonetheless. She heard shouts, and she found herself too jarred to stand up. The world was spinning, but suddenly she left someone lifting her up onto her feet, almost effortlessly.

"Are you okay, sister?" Her blood ran cold as she heard Lucas's voice in her ear. He steadied her, but she was so bewildered she almost lost her balance anyway. She was caught red-handed, and she was going to pay dearly for it. Lucas's eyes narrowed, but he didn't say anything else.

Suddenly his hands were gone and she felt a weight lifted from her as Lucas pulled his pistol out of her pocket.

"Thanks for holding this for me, but you really should have given it back a little earlier." He growled sternly and she felt her heart pounding again, feeding icy blood to her veins. She squeezed her eyes shut as she heard him activate the gun, waiting for the shot that would repay her second betrayal. Instead, she heard him walk off, with a group of soldiers following close behind.

She found herself gasping for air as they disappeared out of view. He either hadn't noticed her backpack, or he just hadn't cared. She pressed herself against a tree, her mind still swirling from the explosion.

Then the image of her mother came into her mind once more, and she bit her lip, forcing herself to continue her mission. She rounded the corner to the plaza and immediately swung back around, stifling a scream. Lieutenant Washington was staring Lucas in the face, as well as the gun she'd just allowed him to take. The look in his eyes was enough to make her start trembling again, and she yelped as the sound of a single gunshot broke through the chaos. That was one more life that she could have saved. She sank to her knees in the shadow of a market stall, and put a hand over her mouth, trying to stop the sound of her sobbing. But before she knew it, the sobbing stopped, and was replaced with the hatred she'd felt earlier in the day. Only this time, there was no nausea or sick feeling, just the craving for revenge.

" _Remember, Bucket."_


	3. Red Velvet

_Dammit._ The sky whirled around above her, and her head throbbed angrily. Skye blinked, trying to stop the spinning and the anti-gravity sense she was experiencing. She could smell blood and dirt, but that was about it. No Lucas, no rover, just earth. She didn't know why, but she started to laugh. She'd been so close to making everything work out, then Lucas just vanished. She shouldn't have just stood there at the front of the car, she should never have bought into his stupid ramblings about getting beaten. Like he said, Lucas hated losing. She really thought he would just drop everything and give up? Now that she thought about it, would _anyone_ in Terranova give up? She wouldn't, and that should have been enough to make her suspicious.

It all started after she hid the backpack. She handed it off to one of the colonists who decided to try and make a break for it and told them to give it to Mark Reynolds, knowing that he would be part of the ambush. She'd only spoken to Commander Taylor briefly, but she had learned who was going ot be part of the operation. She trusted Reynolds, and seeing that he had such a great relationship with Maddy left her with no doubts that he would come through. Then, the rest of her plan took shape, she got Lucas to think she was on his side, and even cozied up to him in the rover. Somehow he believed her, because he looked genuinely surprised when the guns came out. Then once he was tied up she started getting cocky, and didn't even think to have him sit outside the rover. He was partially covered up the whole time, and before she knew it he was gone and suddenly he was in her ear, then bam.

And here she was, flat on her back in the middle of the jungle with nothing but a backpack full of medical supplies and tire tracks from the last remnants of her plan. She just hoped Commander Taylor had gotten everything finished and that her little screw up would still give him enough time. Then, it hit her. The pistol! She jumped up, and the world came crashing down around her, reminding her that she'd just been slammed into a rover engine. Like she could forget. She decided that crawling on her hands and knees would be a good start and found she could see clearly once more as she scrambled for the backpack.

Grabbing it, she dug through the contents, praying Mark hadn't taken the pistol out to investigate. She could have just given it to him to take to Commander Taylor, but she felt it was something she should do personally, to try and get back in his favor. She really didn't know where she stood with anyone in the Taylor family, seeing as Lucas could have just shot her, but instead he just left her in the middle of the road. She breathed a sigh of relief as her hand closed around the cool metal of the gun, and carefully pulled it from the loop of the IV bag. She rummaged around until she found some of the fever reducing pills, knowing that they doubled as minor painkillers. She swallowed two of the little tablets and stuffed them back in the bag, slinging it over her shoulder. She clicked the gun out of safety mode and it hummed to life. She swallowed, the after taste of the pills still stuck in her throat. She didn't allow herself to think, she just bolted into the brush, hoping she caught Lucas before his father did.

By the time she made it to the sounds of the confusion in the Phoenix Group, she began to lose hope. What if the plan failed, and it was all her fault, again? She couldn't stand to see the look on Commander Taylor's face if she knew it was her doing that trumped the mission. If that happened, she might only have Lucas to trust, and she couldn't decide which would be worse. She ducked under the long leaves of jungle ferns and swerved around the monstrous fungi pots that blocked her path.

The soldiers seemed scared, and she felt a rush of joy. Maybe the plan had worked after all! But as she started towards the noise to get a better listen, a pleading shout sounded a little ways off. She knew the voice from somewhere, but she couldn't place it. She immediately thought of the worst, that the Phoenix soldier were hurting her friends. She tore off in the direction of the sound, hoping that no one was getting hurt on her behalf.

As she neared a small clearing, she saw the familiar black uniform of Commander Taylor, with his arms wrapped around someone. She almost jumped out to see if she could help, thinking the person was hurt, when he faltered and fell away. Her ntire body went numb with shock as Lucas stood in front of his father, knife in hand. His eyes were teary, but wild with a murderous fury. But why was Taylor hugging his son? What in god's name would make him do something so foolish? Lucas. He was frighteningly good at finding someone's weak spot. He found the only chink in the Commander's armor and ripped it into a gaping hole in the blink of an eye. Now he was going to get stabbed to death by his own son. Skye tried to slow her breathing as Lucas reared back. She leveled the gun and pulled the trigger. The gun recoiled slightly, but the new technology made it hardly affect her aim. Now that she thought about it, she didn't even know what setting it was on. But she saw the little red hold bloom in Lucas's chest and he stumbled backward, his eyes going wide.

The tiger glared at her, his eyes looking even more cat-like as his pupil's contracted in shock. He curled his lip in a snarl and came at his father once more. She pulled the trigger again, unable to adjust her shot for an instant kill. She made a mental note to honor his last ditch effort to win. He fell back this time, landing with a throaty whack on the dirt. She hurried over to the Commander's side, helping him stand. Lucas had given him a good stab, but he would probably make it.

"Can you walk?" She asked, but the boots of his fallen son sticking up from the grass captivated the Commander.

She finally got Taylor on his feet, and turned to give Lucas one last look, but he was gone. She instantly tensed, waiting for him to come thrashing out of the brush. When nothing happened, she lead the Commander forward, keeping her ears and eyes alert for any signs of the injured Lucas. His father was strong , and it was apparently enough to keep Lucas from striking as they walked back to camp, or the fact that Skye had burrowed to bullets in his chest. He wouldn't last long without medical supplies, and his blood trail would be a dinner bell for any wandering carnivores. She smiled to herself as they entered the camp. A group of nurses rushed from the makeshift hospital tent, and Nathaniel Taylor finally crumpled. Skye reluctantly let the staff take control and one of the nurses gave her a gracious nod. As they lifted him away, Skye saw the shock in his eyes. She instantly knew what she had to do.

She rushed through the camp, picking up bits and pieces of what happened back in 2149. Including a murderous dino that apparently charged through Hope Plaza. She didn't have time t o linger and sort out fact or fiction, she was busy gathering supplies. Seeing as the rest of camp was packing up to move, she had an easy time getting what she needed: a canteen, a flint fire-starter, a compass, a knife and an ESD (elevated sleeping device, basically a hammock). She stuffed as much as she could into her bag and even hi up the armory to grab some extra ammo. She was going to be ready for Lucas this time, no tricks.

The sun was dipping into the sky once more as she slipped from the Terranova camp, her slender form easily slipping through the perimeter. The Commander would be okay, but she was determined to make sure that Lucas really was dead. She headed back to the clearing and was pleased to find that Lucas left a slick blood trail. She swiped her finger in one of the blood drops, and smiled slightly, it was dry on top, but hadn't dried completely. Lucas had nowhere to hide until his bleeding stopped. She followed the drops from the cover of the bushes, trying her best to tread quietly.

It wasn't long before she heard him. In the few hours between his fight with his father, he'd moved painfully slow. She heard the hoarse rasping as he breathed, and the sound of crushed plants as he pulled himself through the grass. Here was her wounded tiger, trying to slither his way out of he grasp. Yet, she felt a sharp pang of sympathy. Lucas had no one in his life who cared for him, if he died it would be more of a celebration than a sadness. He only had himself to rely on, and now that he was fatally injured, he was still trying to keep moving. Her breath caught in her throat as he coughed, painting a bright red splatter on a fern leaf.

Then she thought of her mother again. This time it was a memory from when they first got to the colony, after her father had already died. She was pulling the legs off of a monstrous ant, and waiting for its comrades to come to its aid before attacking them as well. When her mother found her, she quickly yanked her away. _"Skye Tate! What are you doing?"_ She demanded, and Skye shrugged, looking back to one of the ants as it convulsed in pain, its severed leg still twitching beside it. Her mother forced her to look her in the eye. _"No creature deserves to die like that, not even an ant."_

_"Let me go!"_ Skye retorted, trying to pull away, her little hands slapping uselessly against her mother's arms. Her mother finally released her, and bent over the injured ant as it struggled.

_"See Skye? Its frightened."_

_"How can an ant look frightened?_ " Skye snapped.

_"If it wasn't frightened, it wouldn't be trying to run away. Would you if you were an ant?"_

She blinked as Lucas hissed, curling his arm around the waterfall of red velvet tumbling from his wounds. His eyes were squeezed shut and Skye thought he'd finally given up, but he kicked out a leg, and feebly tried to push himself forward, unable to use his outstretched arm anymore. She carefully crept from the bushes, her eyes staring intently as Lucas continued in his plight. He coughed once more, and she saw the fresh wave of blood run from his wounds. She gripped the gun tighter at her side. He wasn't allowed to make it, he wasn't allowed to see what happened in this world.


	4. Healing for Murder

The sight of him in so much pain was something she knew she would keep in her mind forever. He was feeling all the pain he'd caused her, but physically. He had the luxury of being able to die from it, a luxury she did not have. She wanted to just sit back and wait, watch the mighty tiger collapse and wither away. She wanted to be there for his last breath. But she didn't think this way of leaving would be fair. She wanted a full on fight, her against him, no outside forces dealing any damage. It felt as though letting him die there would be seen as weak on her part, though she had shot him. It was worse to leave someone to die and not finish the job, in her opinion at least.

He seemed like a completely different person lying there, still desperately trying to move himself somewhere safe. She quietly approached his struggling frame, unsure if he would lash out at her and further injure himself. As she knelt down behind him, she felt a feminine side of her, an almost motherly side, break loose. Perhaps if was the overwhelming smell of his blood, drenching the jungle away from her and causing her to feel the need to protect him, to fix the wounds she gave him and make sure he got out of it alive. Then the hunt would be on; she wasn't just going to let him go, she'd release him just to chase him down again, but it would be a fair fight this time. His intelligence against her wit, a true battle of skill. Or maybe a Slasher would do the job for them, taking one of them out and relieving that sense of guilt from a murder, no matter how small it would be. She was fully prepared to die trying to kill him, but now she needed to make him able to kill her. It sounded as sick as it was, and it was oddly reminiscent of a game Lucas might play. A twinge of a smile etched the corners of her mouth.

"Oh Lucas…what have you done?" She murmured gently. She heard his breath catch, and he started into another bout of coughing. To her amusement, he tried rolling away from her, causing a visible spasm of pain as some of his weight neared one of the bullet holes. She cocked her head slightly, carefully tracing his side with her fingers. He was shivering uncontrollably, probably from blood loss. She wanted to toy with him a bit, but the unsettling fact that he might die was a little too real.

"Its okay, I really am here to help this time." She swung off her pack, dumping it next to her. "For now at least." She had a limited time frame to get Lucas patched up before the night creatures started coming out. She gently coaxed him into rolling onto his back, and she got her first good look at his eyes. They were bloodshot and wide with fear. He didn't seem to know where he was, or even who he was for that matter. She smiled faintly, feeling steadily worse about deciding to help him. He was really close to the end, much closer than she thought. The front of his shirt was completely coated with dried blood, and the bullet holes were still bleeding profusely. She pulled out her knife, and started to lift the fabric and cut it away to expose his skin.

For being completely delusional, Lucas wasn't a bad patient, though he still managed to be prideful enough to avoid screaming when she accidently poked him with the knife. She was tempted to pull out her morphine IV, but she'd seen countless patients denied the powerful drug because it would be too dangerous. She decided not to chance it with Lucas. She finally pulled the shirt away, leaving his chest bare. She found herself admiring his muscular form, and then realized that this was Lucas Taylor. It didn't matter if he really  _was_ Prince Charming at this point, he was top of her list of enemies, and she couldn't wait to reopen all these wounds with the same knife she was now using to save him. She rolled up a bit of cloth and as she went to place it in his mouth, she was surprised to find him sleeping. She brought her fingers to his throat, feeling for a pulse, just in case he died on her. The faint beat was still there, and she exhaled, glad he was still with her.

"Lucas!" She hissed, and his eyes flew open, terrified. She ignored his reaction and continued, "I'm going to put this in your mouth okay? This is going to hurt, so biting on this might make you feel better." She instructed. His lips parted in response, but she couldn't tell if he was just trying to refuse. She put the cloth in his mouth anyway and he did nothing to stop her. Not that he could.

She took a deep breath, starting with the bullethole that looked like it was bleeding the most. This was going to hurt him a lot, almost as much as it would gross her out. She needed to get the bullet out, and the knife was too thick, so she had to use her fingers. She bit her lip and shut her eyes as she went in.

It was a very strange feeling as she dug around for the bullet, she could feel him clenching his jaw way before she heard his muffled cry. She felt his heart start to beat faster, in the form was the increased bloodflow from the wound. She finally reached the bullet, nestled between two of his ribs, which she felt with sickening definition. She was touching human bone,  _real_  human bone, not a skeleton. She fought off the threat of vomiting as she quickly extracted the little metal lump. She was glad it was a regular bullet, as modern technology had created bullets that shattered once inside the body. Well, Lucas ought to be glad anyway. His lungs were heaving as she dropped the bullet on the ground beside her, releasing muffled whimpers. She felt a pang of empathy, and decided to wait a bit before having a go at the second bullet. Time wasn't on their side, but she wasn't sure Lucas would be able to survive another intrusion so soon. She started wadding up the rest of his shirt fabric and gingerly plugged up the first hole. Why didn't she think to grab tweezers?  _Because you weren't supposed to save him, you idiot!_  She snapped at herself. She shifted her position to better see the second bullethole, but hesitated. Lucas was still scared out of his wits. She sighed, reluctantly grabbing his hand. It wasn't like he would remember any of this, so she could be as nice as she wanted, right?

"Hey, Lucas." She whispered, gripping his hand a little tighter. "You're going to be fine, okay? I just have to get the other bullet out now, alright?" She felt his fingers twitch, and saw his jaw tighten again. She frowned, mentally hitting herself for telling him she was going to cause him more pain. She loosened her grip on his hand, leaning over him until she was above his head. His eyes were wide, staring into nothingness. She felt his forehead, and winced at the heat of it. He was boiling hot, but he probably felt like he was taking an ice bath. She rubbed his temple with her thumb, her heart desperately trying to combat her barrage of emotions. She hated him, yet she saw him as too fragile to hate. He was delicate now, nothing more than a pitiful wounded kitten. He needed her to help him, and she needed him to live. In that moment, that was all that mattered. She needed him alive. His breathing slowed as she lowered her head, feeling the early warning of tears in her eyes. Her brain was done with trying to deal with her mood swings, and all it knew to do to release emotion was cry. She just sat there for a bit, staring at his nearly lifeless green eyes and gently trying to rub some of his pain away. He finally settled and she pulled back.

"You can do this." She didn't know if she was talking to herself, or to her patient. She swallowed, and dove into the second hole.

The second bullet was tricky, though closer to the surface, it was at an angle, so she spent a few vital seconds getting it in the right position. She thought about being gentle and careful pulling it out, but Lucas was losing strength at an alarming rate, so she just yanked. For the first time of the night he really screamed, and she shrank back at the power of it as she saw his back arch in pain. But the bullet was out and he was past his first test. She'd run out of fabric so she took the bloodied knife and began to cut some of the fluffy lining of the inside of her jacket. It worked very well in absorbing blood and she didn't have to use nearly as much to stop the bleeding. Now that he wasn't spewing blood everywhere, Lucas was a lot better off, but he still had a long way to go. After the last extraction he went limp, the shock of it all had been too much for his weak body. But they couldn't stay here, the jungle was beginning to wake up, and the bloodbath they were sitting in was even smelly to a human, it had to be unbearable for a carnivore.

She dug through her pack and pulled out the ESD. She really didn't want it to get all bloody, but it was better than getting eaten. She unrolled the compacted fabric, similar to that of a sleeping bag, but stretchier for easier hanging in trees. She unzipped the flap and unrolled that as well. Next came the hard part. Lucas was way heavier than she was, and she wasn't exactly in prime condition to lift him. She was afraid to roll him over, in case he started bleeding again, so she decided to drag him. Instead of trying to drag him sideways, she moved the ESD above his head, so she could just drag him backwards onto the makeshift stretcher. She slowly lifted him by propping him up with her knee, and getting her elbows under his arms. She slowly started pulling and Lucas flinched, but didn't wake up. With a few forceful tugs she managed to get him into position and zipped up the bag, encasing him in a cocoon of fabric that he couldn't bleed through if he started up again. Only his head was exposed and as Skye tied the end tether around her waist, she watched to make sure he was still breathing.

"Come on, Tiger." She said into the night, starting forward. "We have to get you healthy enough to make a proper kill."


	5. Wake Up and Smell The Blood?

The jungle felt completely different in the dark. She barely remembered what it felt like the night the Nicoraptors attacked, probably because she was a little too focused on not getting killed. This time there was that threat, but it wasn't right in her face so she had an easier time pretending everything was going to be fine. She was tired and her brain was fried from trying to play doctor on her nemesis. She found it pretty comical to see Lucas wrapped up in the hammock, snuggling unconsciously into the fabric. She had to fight back a giggle every time she turned around to check on him. She was acting strange, and her conscience didn't like it one bit.

She weaved her way through the maze of tree roots and rocks, trying to preserve the fabric of the ESD as well as keep Lucas from coming to. She wasn't sure how he would react when he did, but she expected it wasn't going to be pretty. He was already a time bomb when he wasn't traumatized; she hated to think what he might be like when he was. The tether around her waist dug into her hips, and she was getting more and more uncomfortable as she made her way through the darkness. She realized awhile back that she had no idea where they were, but she headed for the huge hills that bordered the sea, assuming that it would be too rocky for most predators to be lurking. It would be a long journey and it would take a lot longer than one night, but she needed to get Lucas as far away from Terra Nova as possible to make everything was fair and square.  _Now who's starting to sound insane?_  She shrugged the thought away, focusing instead on scanning the darkness before her.

She heard the brisk rush of water nearby and found new strength as she pulled along her cargo. The canopy broke overhead, allowing the moon to light her surroundings. She gasped, stepping back and nearly falling on top of Lucas. Two more steps and she would have been off the edge of a rock shelf hanging out above a small river. Regaining her composure, she carefully peeked over the ledge, praying that if she fell, she could use Lucas's weight to pull her up again. Completely ridiculous, but the thought comforted her a bit. The quiet roar of the water drowned out the sounds of the trees, and she carefully traced the shoreline. It was a considerable drop, but it had to get shorter somewhere, right? She was pleased to find that the river was similar to the Falls, with wide flat slabs of rock that would be perfect to set up camp for the night. Judging by the lack of vegetation below, she doubted that any serious threats would find their way down there.

 _Good, maybe I can actually get some sleep_. She thought, starting her way along the river to find an embankment she could maneuver the injured man she was towing. The cry of an Allosaurus sent her into more of a hurry, causing her waist to burn was the tether persisted. She finally sighted a rocky slope, it would be a little rough, but she wasn't going to take any chances with an Allosaurus in hearing distance. She lowered herself at the top of the slope, and gently pulled Lucas beside her. She slowly started down, and the cracking of slate bouncing down into the water was all she heard as she fought her way down the little hill. At the end it dropped off suddenly, only about six inches, but she felt a hard whack on her bum as she bounced down onto the flat rock. She winced as she cushioned the blow for Lucas, rolling the ESD over her legs until it was safely on the ground. He hadn't even stirred.  _Lucky idiot_. She seethed, gripping the tether again and starting towards the place she'd seen earlier.

The little canyon bottlenecked and hit a dead end at a steep rock face that trickled water across its surface, creating a glassy appearance. She found a good spot with a little bit of an overhang to guard them from the elements and shoved Lucas into place next to the wall. She untied herself and sighed with relief. She was safe for the night. As if on cue, her stomach growled, but Skye ignored it. Food could wait until morning. She looked at the unforgiving rock below her and seriously considered dumping Lucas from the ESD and taking his spot, bloodsoaked and all. She had to wake up before he did. But how was she supposed to stay awake the next day if she was tossing and turning on a rock? She frowned, looking down at her pack. It would make an awful pillow, seeing as it was full of medicine tablets and her small arsenal. She debated using the IV bag, but only thought of all the horrible things that would happen if the morphine leaked. She looked to Lucas, scowling. The things she did for war.

She reluctantly pulled him away from the side of the canyon, making a narrow spot just big enough for her to lie down in. She could unzip the side of the ESD and use some of that fever-induced body heat, as well as steal a bit of the fabric for a blanket. And if he stirred at all, she would certainly feel it. She tiptoed over the end of the sleeping bag, and slid off her boots, beginning to shiver. She whacked her head on the side of the canyon as she lowered herself into position, and rubbed her head. "Jeeze…" She hissed, feeling the bruises from when Lucas slammed her into the rover.

It was going to be a very cramped night, she could tell that much. She was glad the ESD was thick and plushy, because if it wasn't she wouldn't be able to stand the thought that she was practically spooning with Lucas Taylor. To his credit, he wasn't the worst person she could be caught spooning with, physically at least. As she unzipped the side of the ESD, she felt the rush of heat rolling out and it brought a little hum of pleasure from her. She carefully pulled a bit of the cloth over her, and because she was forced to sleep on her side, it did its job retaining her body heat. She made sure she was as far away from Lucas as possible, though it was only an inch or two.

Lucas's breathing was still shallow, but she was soothed by the tempo of his lungs, even through the stale smell of blood. Her eyelids drooped slowly as she really focused on his breathing and she found herself nuzzling into the rocky floor below her head, allowing his warmth to wash over her. Maybe if Lucas turned into a vegetable, he really wouldn't be all that bad. She smirked at the thought, and finally dropped off into a deep sleep.

She dreamed that she was in a rainstorm, the kind that was welcomed in the hot summer months in the colony. She was in the orchard, running through the trees, searching for something. She didn't really know what it was, but she knew it was in the orchard somewhere, she could feel it. It was getting closer…until she could sense that it was right behind her. She turned…and a clap of thunder broke her vision, shrouding whatever it was into blackness. She reached out, but the shadowy figure was gone.

" _Wait!"_  She called, but she was drowned out by another bout of thunder. She realized the rain had stopped, and the thunder was beginning to take on a new sound…

Her eyes flew open, but all she could see was skin. She groaned, as the sound of coughing was coming from the body next to her, rattling her head. Then she realized that it was annoying her because she was nuzzled into its warmth, and the events of yesterday raced through her mind.

"Oh no!" She yelped, rolling backwards into the jagged rock face behind her. She continued her flight reaction, scrambling from the space that she'd slept. How could she betray herself like that! Pressing into Lucas Taylor? What was she thinking? She was about to go and jump into the freezing stream, just to wash away any Lucas particles that might still be on her skin, then she realized that he was still coughing. It didn't sound good either. He probably still had some blood in his throat, as gross as it sounded. She reluctantly dropped down to her knees beside him, and eased him onto his side that was free of healing bullet holes. Luckily, it was the side away from her, as she heard him cough up some blood. She curled her lip in disgust, then realized his skin was scorching, and that his fever had gotten worse over the night. She bit her lip, unsure if he would be able to take pills yet. She decided that if he didn't, he would probably end up dying anyway, so it couldn't hurt. She rolled him onto his back and grabbed for her backpack.

She plucked one of the tiny white pills from the container, and noticed that Lucas's eyes were opening.  _Shit._  She dropped the pill, diving to pin him as he woke up. She avoided completely smashing herself against his chest wounds, but did a pretty good job at crushing his arms with her hands and knees. As she expected, he cut loose, wildly trying to get her off of him.

"Hey, stop! It's Skye! Lucas, its Skye!" She shouted, feelingher hold slipping as he tried to yank his arm free. She did  _not_  want to think about what would happen if it did. He finally registered her words, or just got too tired and went limp again. She hesitantly backed off of him, and was surprised to find that his eyes were open.

"What the  _hell_  are you doing?" He rasped, his voice was so hoarse it took her a minute to understand.

"Stopping you from killing yourself, brother." She retorted. He blinked slowly, his face turning to one of confusion. He obviously wasn't completely there yet. He head rolled back and he swallowed, wincing at the dryness of his throat.

"Water." He growled, and Skye smiled. She dug out her canteen, and dunked it in the stream, capturing a few mouthfuls of water. She retrieved the pill she dropped and plopped it into the canteen.

"Open." She tapped on his jaw the way her mother used to when she refused medicine. Not that Lucas knew he was taking any.

He slowly opened his mouth and Skye poured a bit of water, watching the little white dot swoosh into his mouth. He coughed a bit as he swallowed, but mostly because the water probably felt like a kick in the gut. He drank the rest of it, and Skye pulled the canteen away. He drowsily looked around, and his brow furrowed in confusion.

She chuckled, reading his thoughts. "Just go to sleep, you're safe." He stared at her then, as if looking at her for the first time. Actually, he probably was in his mind.

"I don't know you." His slurred voice made her giggle, and she shook her head. She wished she could record this; it was comic gold. Lucas Taylor, the greatest threat in this whole world, was too out of it to remember his self-proclaimed sister.

"Go to sleep, Lucas." She watched his bloodshot eyes close once more, and relaxed. The cries of the jungle above started up again as the sun broke the horizon, basking her in its soft rays.

"Just go to sleep and maybe you'll remember who you really are." She murmured, pressing a hand to his cheek. Only this time, she wasn't mocking him.


	6. Everyone Promises

While Lucas was rendered useless by his sickness, Skye had time to plan. She needed a way to hold him back as he recovered, a way to keep him from slithering away again. She wasn't sure how long it would take him to heal, but she didn't want to risk leaving any weapons in his grasp. She carefully unzipped the ESD, barely breathing as she did so. She peeked underneath the fabric and a small huff escaped her throat as she sighted his knife, now soaked with Lucas's blood as well as his father's. She was surprised he managed to get it in his pocket again after being shot, but knowing him that was probably his first thought. She patted down the rest of his pockets and didn't feel anything that seemed dangerous. His gun holster must've slipped off sometime in the chaos, because it was no longer around his shoulder. In fact, she remembered slicing through it when she was trying to cut his shirt away. Good, one less weapon to worry about. She thought, taking the knife and rezipping the ESD. She tiptoed over to her pack, pulled out her knife and pistol and began to search the rock face.

It wasn't hard to find a crevice big enough to fit all three weapons, but she hesitated. What if Lucas did find her stash? She considered hiding them in three different spots, but wasn't that just three more chances for Lucas to find them? He'd probably realize he was weaponless eventually, and he would potentially be hostile until he got his blade back. She bit her lip, and finally decided that one spot was as good as any. She jammed her gun and Lucas's knife into the crack and scooped up some shale, piling it in front to try and conceal the shining metal blade. It looked pretty good, and unless he knew where to search, he wouldn't be able to see it. Or so she hoped.

Next she decided to try and gather some food. Her brief dabble in Terra Nova schooling had taught her a lot about survival, thanks to Wash. Who was dead now, thanks to Lucas. She took her knife, which she decided to keep on her in case she was attacked, and hurried down the bank of the stream, crawling up the slope she'd used last night.

She spied the long swan-like necks of a herd of Brachs munching cheerfully on the treetops. She took it as a good sign, seeing as the herd wouldn't be there if something dangerous was nearby. It didn't take long to see bright orange and red fruits in some of the low swooping branches of the younger trees. Skye was no tree climber, but she did manage to get two of the cantaloupe-sized melons down. They weren't very good at keeping off hunger, but until she figured out a way to catch something to eat, it was all they had. She stuffed them in her backpack and continued, eyes set on a bush with dark blue berries. Real blueberries were one of the foods that wasn't in either world, 2149 or Terra Nova. They'd gone extinct after a massive outbreak of fungus that spread worldwide. In Terra Nova, they simply hadn't evolved yet. She stooped down, armed with the knowledge that berries were like antioxidant bombs and Lucas would probably need them to recover faster. She moved to put the berries in her bag when she accidently cut through the skin of the little fruit with her fingernail. Dark red juice bubbled out and Skye jumped, tossing it onto the ground. These weren't anything like blueberries at all, these were their very toxic cousins. She couldn't remember the name, but she distinctly remembered Washington instructing them that "anything that bled red would kill you dead". A shiver ran down her spine. What if she'd just taken them back to camp and ate one? What if she'd fed them to Lucas and killed him? She hurried away from the bush and wiped the berry juice on her jeans, trying to rid herself of the thought.

As she searched she had to remember she was looking for food that would not only keep them from going hungry, but would be gentle enough for Lucas to eat without throwing up. Chicken soup didn't exactly grow on trees, but he would probably need the protein in some shape or form. She looked back towards the stream, and the looming hills towering in the horizon. The prospect of moving into the mountains was quickly slipping away, but Skye vowed to try for it anyway, even if it meant waiting until Lucas was fully healed.

She had collected a meager bit of food, mostly plant shoots and a few more fruits besides the orange melons. There were a few she found that looked mouthwatering, but the thought of the deadly berries caused her not to take the chance. Overall it was a good haul and it would hold them over until morning.

As she made her way down the slope and back to camp, she was surprised to find Lucas awake. He seemed to remember she was there to help, because he didn't even look up as she dumped out the bag's contents. He did cast a skeptical glance at the fruit however, watching one of the melons roll slowly across the rock.

"Ready for lunch?" Skye asked cheerfully. She had no reason to show her hatred while he was feverish, and his red-rimmed eyes were more than enough to hint that he was still very sick.

"You're a pansy." He growled, his voice crackling.

Her eyebrows rose and her heart skipped a beat.  _Maybe he really is feeling better…_ She thought, a scowl crossing her face. Lucas flicked his eyes to the melon.

"Fruit is for pansies." He continued, and Skye noticed his voice was still slurred a bit. She relaxed, and grabbed the melon as it collided with Lucas's sleeping bag.

"Not this fruit." She cocked her head, holding it up to examine it better. "This fruit is lunch."

"Where's my father?" He asked suddenly, cocking an eyebrow.

Skye's eyes narrowed, looking away from the fruit and into Lucas's eyes. He didn't seem angry or anything, just genuinely curious.

"He's…not here right now." She managed, placing the fruit on the ground in front of her and pulling out her knife. Lucas's eyes flickered at the sight of the sharp metal.

"Oh." He murmured, watching as she cut into the melon. Juice began to ooze from the cut and Skye's stomach started growling again at the sight. She couldn't resist licking the sticky liquid, smiling at the sugary taste. Lucas sighed, and then pulled his arms out of the ESD, not even noticing that they were caked with blood. Skye sure did, and she quickly looked away, unable to handle seeing it all over again so close to a meal.

By the time the melon was ready, Lucas was asleep again. She wolfed down a few pieces and reluctantly set the majority aside for Lucas. She was starving, and the fruit wasn't going to keep her going for long, but Lucas needed it more than her. He needed real food, but the stream was too shallow for fish, and the jungle would probably only end up with  _her_  becoming dinner. She maneuvered her way next to Lucas, not sure whether to wake him up or not. She grabbed her canteen, now filled with water, and took a long sip. She ran her tongue along her lips in satisfaction, dropping in another white pill as she tapped Luca's shoulder. His brow furrowed, but he didn't wake up.

"Lucas." She whispered, shaking a little harder.

"What do you want?" he snapped, his voice groggy with sleep.

"Here." She held the fruit over his head, wiggling it. She saw the hunger in his eyes as they opened, and he slowly sat up on his elbows.

"Feeling better?" She asked carefully, her voice growing reserved again.

He didn't respond, and just snatched the fruit from her hand, attacking it like a dog. She thought about warning him to eat a little slower, but decided against it, content with watching him make a fool of himself.

When he was finished her turned to her, his eyes still red and puffy and juice dripping off his chin. She handed him the canteen with a chuckle and he took a few huge gulps, and tossed it back onto her lapwith enough force to make her wince. She pursed her lips, almost unhappy that he was recovering. She liked him better when he was clueless.

"You got any blankets?" He asked, scratching his head. A hint of a smile returned to her face.

"Sorry, I'm fresh out." She replied with a shrug. She lifted her palm to his forehead, and he went slightly cross-eyed, watching her hand with an intense expression. He was still very warm, but his fever was nowhere near what it had been that morning. She pulled her hand away, still feeling the heat pulsing through her skin. His old self was bubbling to the surface again, the way he tossed back her canteen was testament to that. She was glad she'd hidden his knife when she did, because if she took it now he would probably remember when he got better. She stood up and walked over to the stream, filling the canteen once more. Lucas kept a weary eye on her the whole time, but he was getting tired again. She was lucky that sickness was so draining on the body. She placed the canteen next to him and left the rest of the fruit where he could reach. She grabbed her backpack, and slung it over her shoulder, heading back towards the forest.

"Are you leaving me?" Her breath caught in her throat at the fear in his voice, she turned, smiling apologetically.

"No, just going to get some firewood." She replied, but his eyes flashed with worry. Her heart sunk, cursing herself for not waiting until he was asleep again. "I promise."

"Everyone promises." His voice grew deeper again, that bit of the real Lucas coming through. She sighed, and pulled off the backpack.

"I'll leave this here so you know I'm coming back, okay?" She felt like she was talking to a child, and her patience was wearing thin. Lucas said nothing, but finally leaned his head back again.  _Finally._  She slipped down the bank, casting one last look at Lucas before allowing the vegetation of the jungle to swallow her.


	7. Let The Games Begin

Gathering firewood allowed Skye some time to think. She wasn't sure how long Lucas going to stick around after his fever subsided, but she was guessing she'd have a few days while he regained his strength. Even as she left now, she could feel that it would be dangerous to be away from for too long. Giving Lucas time to plan was suicide, if he could figure out how to get the portal to go both ways, he could certainly figure out a way to escape and leave her defenseless.

So she gathered as many logs as she could find, returning every so often to the top of the slope until she had a reasonable stack. She wiped the sweat from her brow, squinting into the waning sunlight. It was painstaking work, but it would help in the long run by saving valuable time searching around for more wood. Her arms ached, and her stomach was growling again. Lucas was probably beginning to think she really had left him for good; she hadn't planned on being gone for hours either. But as she slid down the slope with firewood in hand, her mind felt refreshed, all the stress melted away from a hard day's work.

Lucas was sleeping as she started building a little fire. She yawned as the tiny flames started licking up and as she waited for the fire to get bigger, her gaze started to wander to Lucas. Aside from the blood all over him, he looked serene, his features softened from sleep, and his skin dewy from sweat. Every so often his lips would twitch and his forehead would crease, caught up in some dream where he was no doubt finally destroying his father. Skye lazily added a few bigger sticks onto the fire, still captivated by Lucas's sleeping form. He was just so… _different_  somehow. She couldn't put a finger on it, but was surprised to find that she was getting defensive about it.  _Just because he looks calm now doesn't mean he's not the same man as before. Why are you still looking at him? You should spend your time figuring out how you're going to kill him, not pondering his dreams!_  She blinked as the fire popped nearby, eyes widening as she saw how big it had gotten.

She finally added in a few bigger logs to give the fire some endurance, and turned to select dinner. She had four veggie shoots and two Crackers. Crackers were the nickname given by the colony, as the fruit had a rock hard shell that needed to be cracked in order to get to the pulpy insides. They were extremely hydrating, but had little nutritional value so they weren't the best thing to try and live off of. She smiled as she plucked up the veggie shoots and a Cracker. Dinner was on its way.

"Hey, sleepyhead, wake up." Skye tugged on Lucas's shoulder, not sure whether to be happy or nervous that his skin was only slightly above normal temperature. Sleep did wonders, even to the wretched mind of Lucas Taylor.

His eyes flicked open, first in panic, then in remembrance. She held out her little creation, the closest thing to soup he was going to get. She'd mashed up the pulp of the Cracker and used the halves as bowls, added in some chopped up veggie shoots for a little bit of flavor, filled it with water and warmed it over the fire. It tasted a little funny, but it was warm and Skye thought it was pretty good for what they had.

"Thanks." He mumbled, rubbing the side of his face with one hand as he reached for the soup with the other.

"How do you feel?" Skye asked after a brief pause, taking a sip of her soup.

He shrugged, wincing as it jerked his bullet wounds. He was frozen for a moment before carefully lifting his soup bowl to his mouth again. They sat in silence for a few minutes, letting the sound of the fire fill the space between them. Suddenly Lucas looked up,

"I feel like I should know this…but where's the rest of my shirt?"

Skye nearly choked on her chunk of Cracker meat as she started to laugh. It felt good to really laugh again, but she cut it short as she saw that Lucas was looking a little concerned.

She coughed, putting her hand to her mouth to swallow before finally answering. "I had to cut it off to get the bullets out."

Lucas cocked an eyebrow and then looked down at his chest, still covered by the ESD. He didn't seem to believe her and slowly pulled off the cover. His glassy eyes widened at the sight of his chest, now a deep shade of crimson from all the dried blood. The two little holes where Skye had stuffed the makeshift gauze were still there, and Skye realized with a jolt that they should probably come out soon.

Lucas blinked a few times, his brain absorbing what it was seeing. He placed his bowl of soup next to him, and carefully prodded one of the bulletholes with a finger. He flinched openly as he put pressure on it and Skye heard his sharp exhale as he quickly pulled away.

"You'd think I would notice I have two holes in my chest." He grimaced, covering himself again.

"You haven't been awake long enough." Skye scraped the last bit of her soup into her mouth, and placed the bowl by the fire. "You still aren't back to normal yet." She added, seeing him start to shiver. Even with such a brief exposure to the air he was cold again, a sign his fever was still raging.

He picked up his soup bowl again and took a few meager bites, but Skye could tell he wasn't really hungry. He seemed to know that it was good for him, and forced himself to finish the rest. Skye reached over and took it away from him, placing it next to her own.

"You should probably drink some more water, you need fluids." She flicked her gaze to her canteen. Lucas groaned, squeezing his eyes shut.

"I know what I can handle, okay?" He growled, and Skye looked away. Just another reminder that Lucas was still under there somewhere. But to her surprise, he quickly apologized. "Sorry, it's just been a long day. For instance, I know I know you from Terra Nova or something, but I don't remember your name or how I got two bullets in my chest." He rubbed his temples as he spoke, as though it might release some memory locked away.

"You deserved it, believe me." Skye sighed, adding another log to the fire.

"See? You're talking to me like I'm some criminal. Its incredibly frustrating." He murmured, brow creasing.

"Sorry. You'll probably know who you are soon enough, and then you'll remember why we hate each other." She shrugged.

"Is that it?" He cracked a devilish grin. "So that  _was_  hatred in your voice."

Had she really sounded so fake? "Its complicated." She snapped after a pause and Lucas chuckled, wincing at the pain in his chest.

"Well, even if I don't remember this later, I have to thank you for saving me." She looked up, and those jade eyes were staring right back at her. She smiled weakly, growing increasingly more uncomfortable.

"I couldn't just leave you to die there. We'll leave it at that." She ran her hands together as the darkness closed in, warded off by the deep orange flames.

"Ulterior motive, huh?" He rubbed his chin, but kept both eyes trained on her.

She glanced at him, but didn't reply. He was getting back to his usual brainpower, and she was caught off guard by his ability to see right through her.

"Time for you to go back to sleep." She changed the subject, a warning lacing her words. Lucas's eyes narrowed slightly, but he didn't push it.

"So where are you sleeping?" He asked, looking around the tiny camp as though a second sleeping bag might appear.

"Right here." She replied quickly, not wanting to relive this morning's close call. The last thing she needed was a fully functional Lucas waking up with her mashed up against him. The very thought made her skin crawl. She fluffed up her backpack and scooted closer to the fire. It would go out by the time she woke up, but it would be good for a few hours of rest before the cold set in.

"I could share you know." He offered, and Skye immediately went on the defensive.

"The last thing I want to do is share sleeping quarters with you." She hissed. Lucas shrugged, the hint of a smirk on his lips. She thought back to the bar when he had the same look on his face as he said she was beautiful. Her eyes narrowed not waiting for a reply as she curled up next to the fire.

"Close enough for me." He mumbled and Skye nearly jumped up and jammed her finger into one of the wholes in his chest. Instead she just gritted her teeth and hugged her legs tighter. The butt of her knife was jutting out from the backpack, and though it was beginning to give her a headache she didn't care. Even as she felt the bulge of the IV bag, she was too angry to move it. It was away from the knife blade, and that was all it needed to be. She shut her eyes, feeling the exhaustion of collecting firewood crash over her.

She was faintly aware of when the fire went out, as her dreams started to revolve around the cold, but eventually dropped into a deep sleep again.

* * *

Her eyes opened slowly, not really wanting to wake up, but she knew that Lucas would probably need some breakfast. She pressed her head deeper into her backpack, a little jolt of relief as she felt the knife still tucked inside. But something was off, she just wasn't sure what. She looked around, but the remains of the fire where still there and she was still sleeping on a rock slab, wrapped tightly in half of the ESD.

She jumped up with a start, she hadn't been anywhere near the ESD last night! She looked down and found the rest of her body snuggled inside. She blinked, wondering how in the heck she was still in the same spot, but wrapped in Lucas's sleeping bag. She was beginning to think she'd been sleepwalking when the other half of the makeshift blanket shifted. A spark of anger started in her belly and she flung off the cover, revealing Lucas sleeping soundly beside her. She slid from underneath the cover and threw it back onto Lucas's sleeping frame, completely disgusted. At least he'd been smart enough not to touch her, or she probably would have stabbed him to pieces right there.

The cold morning air bit against her skin, traveling through her jacket as though it wasn't even there. She rubbed her arms, still fuming over Lucas's little stunt.

"Good morning." She heard a muffled rumble from underneath the cover, but ignored it and scooped up her backpack. She felt like stomping on him, and only held herself back because she didn't want to get new blood on the sleeping bag.

Heavy clouds blocked the early morning sun and Skye narrowed her eyes.  _Great, the last thing I need is a rainy day._ She thought angrily, kicking the remnants of the fire into the stream, creating billowing black smoke in the water. She watched as it rushed away with the water, lost in thought. She was getting homesick, and so many questions about Terra Nova were still running through her mind. Was Taylor okay? Was the colony still functional? Were Lucas's employers still holding up the city? She knew nothing except that she was trapped out here with Taylor's son, and only one of them was coming back alive. She whipped back to his sleeping form.

"Get up." She spat, yanking the ESD off of him. His lip curled into a snarl as his eyes flashed open.

"Sorry, I'm going to need that." His arm flew out and grasped the fabric, yanking it with unexpected force. Skye flew forward, landing squarely on his chest. She felt the air rush from his lungs and the cry of pain echo in her ears. She was frozen, watching his face in slow motion. His eyes were still glassy, but otherwise he looked normal, really normal this time, somber look and all. Lucas Taylor was back. He bit his lip, trying to fight away the new waves of pain in his chest as Skye felt herself rising and falling with his jagged breathing.

"Welcome back." She hissed, making sure to put as much weight on his torso as she could while standing back up. She snatched ESD away again, this time keeping it out of his reach. He was still paralyzed in pain, but his eyes were flinty as they watched her stoop down again after tossing the blanket away.

"You may have recovered from the fever, but you're nowhere near ready to start acting like that." She smiled coyly.

"I guess not. But I must say, I was pleasantly surprised to find you next to me this morning." He flashed a sly smile and Skye shuddered. She leaned over him, and gripped the gauze in the first bullet hole, yanking it out. Lucas grimaced, but didn't say anything, even as she tugged at the second. The gauze wouldn't give, and Skye gritted her teeth as she tried pulling harder. Suddenly Luca's hand was over hers, quickly pulling it away, He propped himself up, the tatters of his shirt loosely clinging to his frame.

"I know you're mad Bucket, but you can't rush things." He glanced at her for a moment, causing her to go rigid, still very conscious of his hand around hers.

"Gentle." He released her hand, and gripped the gauze, flinching a bit as he carefully tugged it free. He twirled the piece of fabric in his fingers, and then flicked it away.

"See? Easy." He flashed a smile and slowly sat up, suddenly eye level with her. He brought his hand to her cheek and she turned, swatting it away. She could feel her heart pumping in her chest as Lucas leaned in closer, and winced as his lips met the soft skin on her neck. She tried moving away, but he had her pinned, her only escape was leaning back into the stream. "Breathe." He murmured, his stubble tickling her neck. She blinked in confusion, until she found she was holding her breath.

"Get away from me." She growled, and felt Lucas's warm breath on her shoulder as he chuckled. He finally leaned back and she quickly stood up.

"Don't touch me again." She snapped, her skin still tingling from his touch. He just smiled, staring back at her with eyes heavy with contentment. The tiger was back on his paws.


	8. Chapter 8

A smirk tugged at her lips as she whacked the remaining Cracker on a jutting rock. A crack began to appear in the fuzz-covered shell and the bright white juices began to ooze out. One more whack and the shell split in two, creating a wonderful splitting sound. Skye decided that Lucas didn't deserve anything else done to his meager breakfast and set it by the charred remains of the fire.

"Breakfast is served." She announced, her eyes flicking to her prisoner. Lucas was seated by the stream, soaking the remains of his shirt in the cold water, rubbing furiously to try and get the blood out. He didn't move, just waved a hand at her to let her know he'd heard. She shrugged and curled up with her breakfast. Eating Crackers was messy business back in the colony with spoons and forks, so she didn't even try to follow any sort of educate as she ate. The lingering reminder that this was their last shred of food hovered over her, and she knew she would have to go out and gather up some more very soon.

She watched as Lucas's eyes intensified, scrubbing harder after having moved his shirt over a rock to try and better get the gunk out. It reminded her of those ridiculous history documentaries where women used ribbed washboards to clean their clothes. She didn't really believe they even existed, but her pre-World War III history was pocked with dark spots. She never really paid attention in History class , especially when she found out they were going to Terra Nova. She was creating history right now, so why bother with the past of a world that would be gone in a matter of decades?

"Dammit." Lucas cursed, shaking out his hand. A tiny spray of crimson flew from his thumb, where he apparently started scrubbing too hard against the rough surface. Skye stifled a laugh as he brought his injured figure to his mouth, sucking the remainder of the blood away.

"Trying to wash that out with a bloody thumb isn't going to help." She said as he moved to continue scrubbing. He sighed and turned to her, eyes flickering with annoyance

"I'd prefer not smelling like blood while walking around in a forest full of hungry prehistoric creatures." He growled.

"You know, you could just wash yourself off." Her gaze flicked to his stomach, still doused in dried blood. His eyes narrowed and he turned back to his shirt. Skye smiled, feeling a rush of victory.

"Well, breakfast is here if you want it, I'm going to find some food." She announced, standing up and brushing the remnants of her Cracker form her jeans. She grabbed her pack and swung it over her shoulders, heading off towards the slope.

"I'll be awaiting your return." Lucas replied, but didn't turn around. Skye shot him a glare, picking up the pace towards the jungle, her thoughts spinning wildly.

As she entered the leafy expanse of the wilderness, her paranoid thoughts of Lucas escaping disappeared; her focus was only on her surroundings. Her breathing slowed, and her muscles automatically shifted from the offensive, as she always considered herself the prey when she was OTG. Her footsteps were quiet and she scanned the low branches and bushes, searching for the familiar shape of edible fruits. This morning was very different because of the darkness of the cloud cover, but Sky still managed to find a few edible plant bulbs without much trouble.

Then she spied tiny dino footprints in the mud, and her stomach growled. It looked to be the size of a turkey, judging of the size of its feet. So it had to be easy to kill, right? She instinctively dropped into a hunter's crouch, carefully treading in the same narrow space as the fresh tracks. As she continued, a sprinkle of rain made its way through the canopy, meaning it was actually raining pretty hard up above the trees. They acted at nature's umbrellas, directing the rain towards their trunks and more importantly, their roots. As she weaved her way through the ferns, she gripped her knife a little tighter, prepared to strike the second she saw the little dino.

After a few more minutes, the rain still picking up steadily, she heard a tiny squeak up ahead. She lowered herself even more, allowing instinct to take over. She'd never hunted anything living before, but somehow her body seemed to know exactly what to do. As she ducked under a reaching plant, she saw the little body of a dino she'd never seen before. It had long meaty legs and the body of a miniature T. Rex, not that she'd ever seen a live one. It head was almost duck like, with a flat snout and a little set of tiny teeth. It had moved into a bit of tall grass, hunkering down to wait out the storm. She wiped the rain from her forehead, feeling her blood chill with the rush of locating her prey. She raised her knife, watching carefully as the little raptor curled into a little ball to nap. Then, she pounced.

As she rocketed forward, her free hand closed around the body of the dino, and it reared up its head in an instant, trying to scramble free, but her bodyweight had it pinned. Her knife was suddenly at its throat, followed by a quick cut across the neck. Before she knew it, the little creature was dead, limp in her arms as she rushed back through the forest. Hunger consumed her, the last two meals paled in comparison to the thought of fresh meat. Her face was plastered in a grin as she whipped through the forest towards the stream. The rain streaked across her face, but she didn't care, the pride in her kill was all she knew. She'd done it! She stalked and killed her very first kill!

She flew down the slope, nearly slipping on the slick rocks. She just  _had_  to share her excitement with someone, she didn't care that it was Lucas. He was still sitting next to the shallow stream, his shirt draped over a rock. He didn't hear her approach due to the pounding rain and his heart nearly jumped out of his chest when someone crashed into him from behind.

Skye found herself laughing as she grabbed Lucas in an excited hug, dangling the little dinosaur in front of his face.

"Look!" She breathed her eyes twinkling.

"Bucket," He grimaced, "though I'm glad you've caught something, that doesn't mean you can just charge into me when you come back." He managed, trying to move her weight somewhere that didn't scream with pain.

Skye retreated, eyes now narrowed. He just had to ruin everything, didn't he? "Don't worry, I'll make sure to cause you as much pain as possible." She snarled.

He craned his neck back to look at her. "On second thought, I think I can manage." He smiled. Skye felt the anger kick up in her stomach again and in an instant, she'd clubbed him over the head with her kill. He winced as the tiny claws scraped across his scalp, but it didn't draw blood, only a seething anger. He lashed out, and Skye felt his iron grip close around her ankle and swing her sideways. Her kill went flying as she slammed into the shallow water of the stream, her shoulder landing painfully on a sharp rock. She cried out in pain as the rock dug deeper into her shoulder and she rolled sideways, her foot still locked in place by a very angry Lucas.

Her entire backside was now submerged in the freezing water of the creek, a growing sense of dread filling her stomach. She'd let her guard down for the second time that day, and she was paying in full, again. Tears pricked her eyes as the gash on her shoulder started to burn, and she squeezed her eyes shut to try and hold off the inevitable second blow from her attacker.

Instead she felt hot breath on her face, and she dared open her eyes, only to see the electrified green of Lucas's irises. She felt rooted to the spot, pinned under his body.

She could feel the raindrops rolling off of his lips, feeling like little dots of fire on her own. She heard him sigh, and he shut his eyes, pressing his nose to her cheek.

"I said not to touch me again." She hissed, failing to conceal her fear.

"Hmm," he murmured, "I forgot." She could almost feel his lips on her skin, and oddly enough, she felt the fear slipping away as he spoke. She tried to lift her arms to get out from under him but his arms were like tree trunks, preventing her shoulders from moving.

"Get off of me!" She cried suddenly, and felt a slight quiver of surprise run through him.

His eyes opened again, their pearl jade color highlighted by the rain. "I'm not on you, Bucket. Actually, I'm barely touching you at all."

She opened her mouth to argue, and then realized he was right. He was on his knees, straddled over her legs and his arms were only touching her shoulders when she moved to try and free herself, yet the feeling of being completely pinned remained.

"See?" He leaned down again, his lips barely tracing her eyebrow in a kiss.

"Does it give you some kind of sick pleasure to trap me and do this?" She snarled, turning her head away.

He chuckled, "I'm not trapping you, if you really wanted to get away, you could."

"Yeah, and get attacked by you again." She spat, the creeping frost of the stream sinking into her skin.

He shrugged, "I think you would risk it, but the thing is," he closed in again, but didn't quite touch her. "You don't. Maybe you should listen to that little voice in your head that's telling you to stay."

Her eyes narrowed, but her heart was pounding. Was he right, was that the reason she never really tried to get away, or was it really just fear?  _Of course its fear, he could rip you limb from limb if he wanted to! Quit falling for his tricks and get away from the monster!_

She smiled slowly and lifted her head a tiny bit, close enough that the raindrops on his lips were also touching hers. "Or maybe…" She breathed and felt his lips part, waiting for her to kiss him. "I should start taking risks." She rammed her hands up from her sides and into Luca's bare chest. He curled over, falling onto his side in pain. That would make him think twice about trying to get that close to her again, but she'd probably just stoked the fire for his angry outbursts.

Lucas lay in the stream for quite awhile, his face contorted in pain. She had enough time to start a fire under the little overhang and start cooking hunks of the little dino, as well as combatting the sparks on her lips where she'd been so close to kissing him. Her face hardened when he finally rose from the water, grabbing his soaked shirt and clutching it to his chest, scowling. She motioned to a leg of the little dinosaur that was cooked and turned her gaze back to the fire as he stumbled over. She was shivering uncontrollably from the chill of the rain and the fact that her backside was drenched. It was going to be quite a fight of the ESD tonight.

The fire crackled around the gutted remains of her kill, casting and orange glow on their surroundings. She'd decided to cook the whole dino, because she was worried that this would be the last fire they would have until the rain let up, and in Terra Nova, rain could last for days.

Lucas winced as he finally sat, and tore a chunk of meat from the leg. Skye had already eaten her fill, and was delighted to find that the meat was delicious. They sat in silence until Skye reached into her pack and pulled out two pain pills.

"Here, take these." She held out the little capsules. Lucas stopped chewing for a moment, and kept his eyes on hers and snatched the pills before she could pull them away.

"You keep pinning me and I'm going to run out of pills trying to fix you up." She flashed a smile as she tucked the pills away again. Her shoulder was still throbbing, but she hadn't taken a look at it in case Lucas noticed it was causing her pain. He swallowed both pills at once, and cleaned off the rest of the meat from the leg bone, tossing it into the fire.

"Soon enough, you're going to start hitting me with things just to try and get that response." He spoke so matter-of-factly that Skye felt her breath catch in her throat. He flashed small smile and looked out at the stream that was now rushing with the new rainfall, leaving Skye wide-eyed. Not at his words, but the tiny little voice that said he might be right.


	9. Flash Flood

The rest of the evening was quiet, both Skye and Lucas found they had no words for each other, each focused on their new wounds. Lucas was beginning to think that he was suffering from internal bleeding, or that Skye's surprisingly forceful whack to his ribs had torn some major organ. It was all in his head of course, if he was really bleeding internally it would have been from the gunshot wounds, and he would be dead. Even so, each heartbeat brought a brand new pulse of searing pain to his chest. It took all of his concentration just to eat properly, and that was after Skye's pain pills had taken affect.

Skye on the other hand, was racking her brain for an excuse to leave the warmth of the fire. Her shoulder was throbbing and she wanted to at least see the damage the rock had inflicted. It didn't seem serious, she couldn't feel any blood running down her back, but it sure did hurt She stretched her arms above her head, brushing them against the roof of the overhang to sneak a peek over her shoulder.

The rock had torn a slit right through her jacket and her tank top, but only a tiny red dot of blood was actually visible on her skin. She sighed, leaning her back onto the rock wall, careful to not put any pressure on her shoulder. If that was the only blood, she figured that the pain was coming from the bruising underneath. That could last days. Her shoulder was going to go through hell while she was crawling through the jungle with a backpack.

The wind picked up outside, sending a splash of rain on her face. She shivered, wiping it away. The incident in the stream had chilled her to the bone, but she refused to put her back to the fire in case Lucas decided to try something. She doubted he would in his condition, but if the past two days had taught her anything, it was that Lucas was about as unpredictable as a Nyko. The fire hissed as bits of rain hit the flames, and Skye felt herself nodding off somehow. She was shivering uncontrollably, but the warmth on her face from the fire was easing her into sleep. The last thing she needed was to fall asleep sitting up, she could only imagine how sore her back would be when she woke up.

She grabbed the ESD, still crumpled in the corner from that morning, and found it was only slightly damp form the rain. It would be much better than the chilly wet rock underneath her now. She glanced at Lucas as she pulled the sleeping bag toward her, packing it against the rock wall to prevent it from getting to close to the fire. He was watching out of the corner of his eye, his gaze too still for him to just be looking around. She smirked as she watched the rain dripping from the side of the cliff onto his face, but she also felt a little tug of disgust at herself. Here she was being selfish and taking the sleeping bag all to herself while Lucas got to sit out in the rain trying to overcome the wounds she'd given him. The more she addressed the feeling the worse it got, and as she snuggled up inside the warmth of the ESD she felt a lump in her throat.

She really needed to stop feeling guilty. Not giving him a warm place to sleep was hardly a fit punishment for threatening to kill her mother. Lucas shifted after she made herself comfortable, slowly moving himself towards the cover of the overhang. Skye swallowed, fearing that he might think she'd already got to sleep and was trying to crawl in with her. If that was the case, she'd be forced to hit him again, and that would do nothing to ease her guilty conscience. But he didn't do anything of the sort, in fact, he didn't even move under the overhang. He just sat outside, washed in moonlight, and slowly brought his knees to his chest. He balanced his chin on his knees and his eyes went distant, lost in thought. Skye opened her mouth to relent, to at least get him out of the rain, but her pride couldn't bring her to breath the word into life. She just watched the puffs of smoky breath leave his lungs, finding herself amazed at his control. He had to be going numb, the wind and cold had to be eating away at him ten times worse than it had with her, yet she couldn't even see so much as a tremble from him. In fact, he seemed to be almost drawing power from the icy droplets on his skin. His breathing was calm, and his eyes closed with a sigh.

For probably the last time, he fell asleep before she did. She couldn't believe that anyone, even a man who lived in the wild for years, could fall asleep out in those conditions. But as the fire died away she saw the slow rise and fall of his shoulders, and the limpness that only comes from sleep. And she thought she would be sore. Lucas was curled up in a ball and just looking at his position made her back ache. A low rumble of thunder bounced around the little canyon and Skye sat up, and untangled herself from the warmth of the sleeping bag.

She just couldn't take it anymore. If it hadn't been raining, fine, he could sleep in the middle of the stream for all she cared. But it  _was_  raining. She walked over to his sleeping form and scowled.  _He probably planned this all along._ Nonetheless, she felt herself smiling when she draped the blanket around his shoulders and saw him relax.

"Just so you know," She grumbled lightheartedly, "I still hate your guts."

She woke with a start. Everything around her was pitch black, except for the glint of moonlight off of a pair of eyes. She sucked in air, but something caught in the back of her throat, cutting off her scream. She felt her lungs burning, like someone had lit her on fire from the inside. As she doubled over in a fit of coughing, she realized the culprit. Water tickled the end of her nose, and she jumped back. The stream was flooded and water was now about six inches deep across their entire campsite.

"Bucket," She jumped at the sound of Lucas's voice so close to her. Then she remembered that it was his eyes that had made her try to scream in the first place.

"You're the only one who knows the way out of here." He gripped her arms, sending a jolt of pain to her shoulder. "We need to get out of here, now." His voice was controlled but she swore she heard a trickle of fear in his words.

"Its not even a foot deep." She found herself saying, though she could barely understand though the sound of her teeth chattering.

"I'm aware." He growled, leading her out from under the overhang. The open air sent a new wave of chills through her body and she wanted nothing more than to crawl back into her little space, flooded or not. Lucas seemed to sense this, and gripped her a little tighter, nearly tossing her forward.

"It's not the depth I'm worried about," He continued as he lifted the soggy ESD from the water with a free hand. "Terra Nova has no dams, that means the only thing holding back all the water is _that_." He flicked his gaze to the dead end of the canyon that was now gushing like a water slide. "And I don't think that this little stream is always so little. I should have thought of it earlier." He cursed under his breath as they waded through the water, his eyes blazing. "It hasn't rained like this in weeks, and that's plenty of time for a river to get down to a stream. I'm thinking the water is probably at least chest height normally, and I have no idea how fast it goes."

Skye was barely listening, though she found it interesting to hear the way Lucas was talking her through the situation. The deep tones of his voice kept her mind grounded as she searched madly for the slope. Something brushed against her leg, causing her to look down to find her backpack, soaked, but still full of her supplies. She felt a rush of relief as she pulled it from the water, but her mind went back to the gun and knife she'd stowed away. There was no time to turn back now, she realized with a cringe.

"There!" She cried as the slope came into view. She ran forward, but her foot caught in the water and she fell harshly, landing on her hands and knees. The rocky bank embedded several sharp rocks into her palms, but she ignored the pain, clambering up the mucky rise. Her shoulder screamed in protest, but she forced her way to the top.

As she turned to help Lucas, something moved in the corner of her eye. A wall of water burst over the edge of the waterfall, careening downriver in a frothy white foam.

"Lucas!" She screamed, grabbing his arm as he tried to make his way up. His face indicated that he was in immense pain from his chest and he was fading quickly. She reached with her other hand, dropping to her belly to better hold him up. She felt his tricep strain in a last ditch effort to haul himself up, but the water was too fast. It ripped his feet from the bank and Skye slid forward, feeling tiny daggers dig into her exposed stomach. Tears rushed to her eyes at the sudden sharp pain, but she didn't dare loosen her grip on Lucas.

He struggled to find a foothold as the rushing water tore away the shale, but Skye could see his strength was quickly evaporating. She would't lose him now, she had not come this far for him to be sucked away by a freaking _stream_. She gritted her teeth and pulled.

"Come on!" She hissed, her shoulder searing from the pull of Lucas's weight. Finally, in one last effort, Lucas heaved himself over the edge. Not taking any chances, Skye pushed herself up off of her stomach and dragged him a little further from the edge, just in case.

She was suddenly exhausted, every part of her body freezing, bleeding or in pain. But they were both safe. She curled up right there on the ground, too tired to even move under any sort of cover. They were goners if they were discovered anyway.

She could hear Lucas trying to catch his breath, but couldn't even find the energy to ask if he was okay. Exhaustion gave way to sleep, and as she felt herself slipping into her dreams, she was subconsciously aware that Lucas had just saved her life. Now, they were even.


	10. Psycho

Skye opened her eyes slowly, feeling her body try to push her back into the folds of her dreams. She would have fallen for it, if she hadn't noticed that the sun was already up. She swore, lifting her head from the mud.  _Gross_ , she thought as she felt the brown goo on the side of her face.

The jungle was pulsing with activity, the rainstorm had rejuvenated the vegetation and caused a celebration among the animal life. Skye tried to swipe the mud from her face, but it was useless. She sighed, and walked to the edge of the canyon that just yesterday was her home. Now water rushed by with a ferocity that was completely opposite of the stream she'd seen the day before. She could have been swept away,  _would_  have been swept away if it wasn't for Lucas. She turned to look at him, but there was only a puddle where his body was lying the night before. Her heart jumped as she noticed her pack had been moved.

_No. This isn't happening._ She fought back tears as she dug through the bag, shoving it away when she couldn't find the sharp edge of the knife. There she was, thinking Lucas was incapable of handling himself, waiting for when he was steady enough that she could slip away in the dead of night and begin her hunt. Instead, he was one step ahead of her, he'd taken her only weapon and fled for the jungle. He had the upper hand just with his survival knowledge, but now he had a weapon. She buried her face in her hands, feeling the tickling sensation in her nose she always got before she cried. It wasn't even that he had her knife…she just felt overwhelming hopelessness. When Lucas was around, she was always focused on something, and when she started her little competition she would have been able to just watch him and stalk him until she got her chance to deal the final blow. Now he could be anywhere and she had nothing but a puddle to go on. She didn't even know where to start.

"I meant to leave a note, but we're a little short on paper."

His voice made her jump, and she whipped around to see Lucas limping towards her with an armload of food. He cocked an eyebrow as a tear trickled down her check. She quickly rubbed it away, and her open mouthed expression snapped into a scowl.

"You can't just leave like that!" She exploded, unable to contain the emotions raging inside her.

"I don't think you would have appreciated me waking you up again—"

"I don't care!" She spat, and noticed the flicker of confusion in Lucas's eyes.

"Bucket—"

"Don't. Don't you dare call me Bucket." She thrust out her hand, "Give me back my knife," she demanded. Lucas carefully placed the food down and pulled out the knife. Her knife.

"Sorry, but I'm not giving a knife to an angry woman. "

"Lucas, give it back to me right now." She took a threatening step forward, but Lucas seemed indifferent to her attempts at intimidation. After a moment he held the knife out to her. She grabbed for it, but just as her fingers touched the hilt he yanked it away.

"First, you calm down."

His eyes were cold and as they locked with hers, Skye felt something snap within her. She lunged, fully prepared to do anything in her power to get her knife back. She curled her hands into fists and pounded away at his shoulder, the closest body part she could pummel. It was like punching a rock, and each jab made her hand buckle, yet Lucas did nothing, either too stunned or to uncaring to do anything. At some point in her outrage the tears had started up again, turning her face red with frustration as she threw a few more punches. They slowed as she began to realize what she was doing, but it felt too good to stop. She lifted her fist again, but suddenly he was all around her, crushing her in his arms. The air rushed from her lungs and her fist went limp, stunned. Shee tried to wiggle free from his arms, but he held her tighter until she gave up.

"I probably deserve that." He grunted, the new pain in his shoulder making him cringe.

"I'm glad you recognize that." Skye snarled.

Lucas chuckled, sending the sound reverberating in Skye's ear that was smashed against him.

"What did I do to make you hate me this much?"

The anger flared up, and Skye attempted to escape again, but even an injured Lucas was too strong for her thin build.

"How can you even ask me that? You threatened to kill my mother! The only family I have left!"

"If I really wanted to kill her, would I have given her that blanket?" He countered.

Skye rolled her eyes, letting out a disgusted snort. "You're insane. The blanket was a ploy, I'm not stupid."

Lucas shrugged. "Maybe, but if you really thought she was in danger, why didn't you tell my father?"

"Because that would involve telling him I spied for you! Or did that slip your mind?" Skye growled. "You're just sick, you threaten people and then you try and act like some hero. Like after I got your stupid file you pretended to be all thankful and then you threaten me to leave. You come up and-and kiss me, telling me that I shouldn't go back to Terra Nova because you're going to bring people in and destroy it! My friends were supposed to just die so I could save myself? I'm not like you Lucas, I'm not selfish and stuck up, I care about other people besides myself! I have the capacity to love another person!" She screamed and threw her weight back to look him in the eye. His grip loosened, and she went stumbling backward. She readied herself for his retaliation, but instead of becoming angry his eyes softened into a look of sorrow.

"You're right," He cleared his throat, "Yet you forget what happened in between all of that. I allowed my father's undercover to take your mother back to Terra Nova. You think I didn't notice that little grunt stealing medicine? I let him take her back as a thank you for helping me. Then, you run off and tell my father my plan that I've spent years getting exactly right.

"After I take over Terra Nova and cut off medicinal supplies, but I leave full access to your darling mother. I spare your little Shannon friend, even after he publicly humiliated me. Then you say you finally see the truth about my father, I've finally got someone on my side who understands, then you throw it in my face and ambush me. I escape, and instead of killing you, I knock you out. I had the gun in my pocket Bucket, I thought about shooting you, but I didn't." He shut his eyes, but she could still see the hurt in his expression. "Then I'm about to kill my father and I see you with a gun in hand. I thought you were going to get him too, that we'd end him together, then you shoot me. " He shook his head, a crazed smile flickering across his face. "Not once, but twice. Have you ever thought about what I must have felt like? I'm not some emotionless pawn in my father's chess games. Do you have any idea what its like to wake up next to the person who has betrayed you more than the father you despise, next to the person who shot you to save him?"

Skye's mouth dropped open. "I-I never…."

"Save it. I don't want your apology. Because you know what? You were about to do it again. " He stepped closer, lifting her chin. "Weren't you?"

She looked away, unable to hold his gaze. Why hadn't he just told her before?  _Because you wouldn't have listened_. It was true, how could she believe a word he said? But this time was different; she could see the raw pain in his eyes. She'd torn him to pieces, rebuilt him and destroyed him again.

He sighed, and grabbed her palm, pressing the knife into her hand. She almost refused it, but her instinct was too strong. His eyes flashed, but she couldn't catch the emotion.

"I'll make breakfast, we have to find a new camp." He released her suddenly and turned to the fruit. She felt dizzy; all the memories of Lucas, the takeover and Commander Taylor whirling around in her head.

"I'm so sorry." She whispered under her breath. Lucas stiffened.

"No, Skye. " His words had an eerily finality to them, and Skye flinched.

"Its Bucket, not Skye."

Lucas's lips twitched. "Bucket. So easy to fool." His lips held a faint smirk, and then he turned back to the fruit, leaving Skye dumbfounded. She felt like her heart was injected with poison, and her vision blurred with shock. Either Lucas was just trying to cover up his confession, or he was the best liar she'd ever seen. Her stomach knotted. If that was true, she wouldn't stand a chance against him.


	11. Cold Shoulder

Lucas prepared breakfast in silence and Skye did nothing to try and get in his way. She sorted through everything in her backpack a thousand times, rearranging the pill bottles, fire starter, and the IV every conceivable way. Organizing things kept her occupied, even though she knew she was blatantly avoiding Lucas's silence. He finally leaned back from his work, handing her a collection of bizarre fruit she'd only glimpsed on her searches. She quickly glanced at Lucas as she took it from him, but his gaze was trained on the forest around her. Her heart twisted, still unsure if he was lying to her or not. He sure seemed angry for a liar, but then again, if he  _was_  lying he was damn good at it.

She swallowed, plucking at one of the pieces of his little fruit stew. He stole her Cracker bowl idea.

"A Terra Nova fruit salad." She smiled weakly, but Lucas didn't respond. In fact, he didn't even move to show any signs he'd heard her. She gave up, and scarfed down her meal. He obviously wasn't the type of person to talk about things, and his little rant probably used up his word count for the day.

She stood, tapping the scraps out of her bowl and stuffed it into her pack. She should've saved the other bowls, but the river had taken care of that. She had no sleeping bag, no extra knife and no gun. Her canteen was washed away too, so they would have to stay by the river unless they wanted to die by dehydration.

To her surprise, Lucas stood up, jamming his hands in his pockets. She almost cracked a joke about his ratty excuse for a shirt, but his eyes were still livid.

"I think we should go into the hills, less chance of getting attacked. " She announced as she started walking. Lucas slowly started behind her, and she felt a rush of relief. He wasn't going to leave her after all. She found herself waiting for a reply, but just like his father, he said nothing. She tried to shrug the thought away and kept walking, scanning for any signs of hungry beasts lurking in the shadows. This time she wasn't afraid of them, she found herself preoccupied with the man behind her. As she weaved around roots and rocks, she came to terms with one fact. She didn't know what she felt about Lucas Taylor, but it was no longer hate.

* * *

She had no idea how long they walked, but the river slowly began to narrow as they trekked towards the hillside. Lucas had said nothing aside from a few curses when he stumbled on something. Skye had decided to believe that there was some truth to his vent from earlier, but she still had to treat him with the same caution as before. He seemed angrier at the fact that he'd said anything instead of at her. Even so, he was still dead set on the silent treatment.

Skye's feet were aching by the late afternoon and they'd only made it to the valley between the hills, they hadn't even hit any higher elevation than when they started.

"This should be good." Lucas's voice startled her and she turned to him.

"God, I thought you'd gone mute." She breathed a sigh of relief.

"Just seeing how easily I can affect you." Lucas's eyes narrowed slightly as he flashed a smile. Skye scowled.

"Yeah? And how did that work out?" She hissed.

"I have to give you credit," He walked past her, taking the lead, "You can hold your own out here better than I thought. But, you still looked like you were anxious." She caught his earthy scent as he walked by, and found her throat constricting. She wasn't sure if it was a good or bad feeling, but it made her shiver. She followed instinctively as he ducked behind some bushes.

Skye blinked as they entered a tiny hidden clearing. A brilliant flowered shrub arched over a section of grass, creating a leafy cave. It looked like a piece of a storybook.

"Have you been here before?" She asked, bending down to examine the inside of the "cave". Lucas had started tearing up grass to make a spot for the fire.

"No, I just saw that bush. They always grow like that." He sounded as if he was going to say something else, but nothing came.

Skye plucked one of the reddish purple flowers, lifting it to her nose. It smelled like fresh rain, and she smiled, the smell stirring memories from the colony.

"Well, its beautiful." She pressed the flower back into the leaves, pretending it would somehow find a way to reattach. She turned slowly, the smell of fresh flowers making her blissfully ignore Lucas's sour mood. She plopped down next to him. A lick of scorn riled in her gut because of her closeness to him, but she shoved it down. He was cross-legged, piling up pieces of kindling to make a fire. She swung off her pack and pulled out her flint starter. Lucas looked at her with a blank expression as she offered it out to him, and he took it without a snide comment.

She stood, taking out her knife to go out and get firewood.

"I heard some Carnos awhile back, keep a low profile unless you want to get us both killed." Lucas muttered as she slipped from view. She smiled, but it quickly disappeared _. What are you doing? You may not hate him, but you certainly aren't friends!_  Her thoughts lashed at her as she gathered fallen logs. She couldn't help it, but the thought of Lucas watching out for her made her… _happy_. It didn't change her eventual plan to end him, but it made her comfortable for now.

* * *

Her nerves were sparking as she returned to Lucas's tiny fire. He glanced up at her, but said nothing as she dumped the logs next to him.

"How's your chest?" She asked as she sat down. Lucas had gathered some bulbs for dinner, and she found she was actually hungry enough for them to look appetizing. Her legs were still aching from the hike, but her survival mindset kept the complaining at bay.

"Its still hurts pretty bad to lift my arms any higher than my shoulder." He replied with a shrug. He just kept staring at the fire, his eyes locked on the growing flames. Skye shifted in the silence, pulling a thin stick from the firewood and skewering a root. She figured they might taste like cooked carrots or something; anything was better than plain bulbs.

"Hm. I have more pain pills of you want them." She murmured, her voice trailing as she focused on preparing their dinner.

"I already took some while you were gone," He replied bluntly, and Skye felt a twinge of anger that he'd gone through her backpack. But the knife was in her hands, so it didn't really matter to her. Unless he wanted to attack her with a pill bottle, it wasn't that big of a deal.

She selected another stick and skewered Lucas's half of the roots as he built up the fire. By the time she was finished with her makeshift shishkabobs the fire was crackling. She scooted next to Lucas, a slight smirk graced her lips as she saw his eyes flash with surprise at her getting so close to him again. She was feeling confident and content with the fact that she had a place to sleep, unhindered that he might snap at her. He seemed to have mellowed out in his day of being mostly mute so she wasn't worried about him hurting her. She handed him his shishkabob, and they sat side by side, roasting their sliver of a meal.

After dinner, Skye picked up her pack and drowsily made her way into the leafy cavern. It smelled refreshing and the grass was plush and much more forgiving than the rock she'd slept on in the canyon. Lucas added a few logs to the fire and joined her. She felt her subconscious rear up, making her feel as if she was being intruded upon as Lucas settled in. The shelter was big enough for both of them to sleep comfortably, which, in Skye's case, meant there could be at least a foot between them at all times.

She pretended to be preoccupied as he entered, and Lucas seemed to be doing the same thing. He threw off his shirt, and Skye couldn't help but catch a glance at his body in the firelight. A sharp feeling of betrayal swept through her, but her feminine instinct got the better of her as she noticed one of his bulletholes.

"Hold on." She said before he could move. She scooted closer to get a better look. The hole had mostly healed, but it was looking a little inflamed. Probably from sleeping half the night in a puddle of mud and forest gunk. She grabbed the bottom of her tank top and wet it in her mouth, glancing at Lucas for a microsecond before swiping at the wound. She saw his body jerk at her touch, but she had to get the dirt off of his wound. Her eyes traveled up his chest to the second bullethole. It looked a little better off, probably because it was closer to his shoulder, therefore it was probably off the ground a little more. She readjusted herself and swiped the dirt away again.

When she was finished, she found her hands still lingering on the spot, and a rush of shock rattled through her. It felt like she'd just been caught in mid-crime, and her heart began pounding in her ears. She was  _way_  too close to him, yet she was frozen. Her eyes traveled up, and she felt another shockwave as her eyes locked with his. She breathed slowly and as steadily as she could manage, trapped by his gaze.

Her mind locked up, leaving her body uncontrolled. She found herself leaning towards him, her lips parting ever so slightly as she neared him. He mirrored her, his stunningly bright eyes unwavering, getting close enough for her to see the little flecks of blue lining his irises. She felt his breath on her cheek, time moving in slow motion as she waited for their lips to touch.

Her eyes closed, but the kiss didn't come. She found herself craving it, craving his touch, willing him to hold her like he did that morning. She leaned into him, pressing into his chest, but unable to find his lips.

Then she felt warm breath on her neck and she shuddered, electricity racing up and down her spine. He arms looped loosly around his shoulders, drawn by the warmth of his skin. Her eyes were still closed, absorbing every feeling without being hindered by sight.

"Why do you do this?" He whispered, tickling her neck. Her eyes flew open, her mind clinching control of her once again. She pulled back, hearing Lucas sigh. Her emotions were haywire, her nerve endings weren't connecting to anything and misfiring everywhere.

"Do what?" She blurted suddenly, her voice coming out much harsher than she expected.

"Act like that. As soon as I leave you alone, you start getting closer and closer until I do something about it, then you snap out of it and I have to start all over again." He grumbled, lying down in the grass.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Skye snapped, crossing her arms. Lucas chuckled darkly.

"Well, have fun sleeping in the cold then." He murmured, shutting his eyes. Skye bit her lip.

"You know, you're going to wake up next to me tomorrow morning. When you're sleeping, you aren't listening to that little voice telling you no. You're listening to that piece of yourself that tells you how to survive, and tells you what you really want."

"Quit using that stupid voice analogy." Skye snarled, "I know what I want, and it isn't you."

Lucas snorted, "Of course, Bucket. You just cuddle up to me because you hate me so much."

"No, its because the only alternative is freezing to death!"

"So why don't you just cut to the chase and cuddle up right now?" His eyes flashed open as a sly smile spread across his face.

"Ugh!" Skye flopped onto her side, turning her back to him as he laughed.

"Just try and remember that feeling you have right before you wake up. Its always what you really feel, you aren't asleep enough to be dreaming, but you don't quite have your mind there to control you." She rolled onto her side, and Skye could feel his eyes burning into the back of her head. "That's how I knew I hated my father. I woke up every morning with that hatred in the back of my throat. Most mornings I swallowed it back into my subconscious, but until I accepted it, I always felt like I wasn't in control of myself."

"I liked you better when you were sick." Skye growled.

He laughed again,"Why, so you could look at me like you wanted me to be there and know I wouldn't remember it?" He asked, his voice weighted with his stupid sense of pride.

She swallowed. Had he remembered? Certainly he was lying; there was no evidence to suggest he remembered anything from when his fever was really bad.

"No, because…because you were just better that way!" She retorted, unable to come up with a better answer. He still managed to trap her without even touching her!

Lucas sighed, and the soft breeze was all Skye heard as she tried to go to sleep, her brain still scrambling to sort out everything that happened. She just kept going back to the moment where nothing else mattered but his lips, his skin, his breath. Those same lips that told her she'd helped destroy her home.


	12. Acceptance

Violent winds ripped through Terra Nova, creating a hazy vortex through the housing sectors. It was deserted, but Skye didn't really notice. She cradled a package, shielding it from the gritty wind as she made her way towards the fields. She had no idea what was in it, and all she could remember was that Mira insisted she took it to the field.

Then she suddenly found herself surrounded. It was no crop she'd ever seen, barren stalks with no fruit that crackled in the wind. The wind was tearing through her, and goosebumps spread across her skin. She set down the box, and it flew open, its contents bursting into the air.

A low growl cut through the wind and she whipped around to see the glowing eyes of a wolf pack. The sky darkened, leaving only a dozen pairs of luminescent eyes staring back at her. She froze, realizing it had been a lure in Mira's package. The wolves snapped their jaws and as one moved closer she could see fresh blood dripping from its fangs. Where at they come from? Wolves didn't exist yet! She swallowed as the pack surrounded her, dark shadows in the stalks threatening to suffocate her. Black mist edged the canines, but Skye still couldn't figure out how they were there in the first place. Had the Sixers brought them? Or Pheonix Group?

It seemed surreal as the pack leader lunged for her, like it wasn't really happening. Its front paws slammed into her chest, throwing her back into the stalks. She landed with a harsh whack on the dirt, a fresh wave of pain ripping into her back.

The wolf towered above her and spread its jaws. She felt its rancid breath on her face and the realization that it was really happening ran through her like fire.

"No!" She screamed, kicking wildly. The wolf pulled back, and released a throaty snarl. She felt its fangs dig into her neck and she shrieked in pain.

But just as quickly as it attacked, the wolf was gone with a yelp Skye put a hand to her neck, feeling the blood begin to stream. Something had attacked the wolf, yet she felt she knew what it was. The cry of another wolf sounded close by as she stood shakily, searching for the mysterious creature that had helped her. She could just feel that it was the same thing she'd been searching for in the orchard, the thing she'd never been able to find.

"Hello?" She called into the crop field, but only the sound of the fleeing wolves filled the air. She started into the stalks, pushing them aside as she tried to contact the creature. Something rustled nearby, and Skye turned, bending to peer further into the darkness.

"Is someone there?" She whispered, taking a tentative step towards the noise. The wind stilled, leaving eerie silence. She was suddenly conscious of her breathing and found she was terrified. Maybe she shouldn't be looking for it after all, maybe whatever it was, was something she should try and get away from. She took a step back, and felt a hot breath on her shoulder. Her eyes widened, but she was paralyzed, and couldn't will herself to turn around and see what had found her. She gripped her neck, feeling another wave of blood on her hands.

Then she felt the crushing weight of its paws on her back, ramming her into the ground with a resounding thud. She struggled to regain her balance, and scrambled to her knees. It pounced again, its massive weight pinning her in the dirt. She heard it lean its head down, and felt a rush of air on the back of her head. It sounded big. She gasped as its dug its claws into her arms and growled. The wolves seemed a puny threat now.

"Please, stop." She whimpered, but the only response was another gravelly snarl in her ear. She struggled to free herself again, and the monster purred in amusement and put its jaws around her neck. She waited for the bite, but instead it pulled away. Her blood froze as it breathed in her ear.

" _Never try to run."_

She woke up in a cold sweat, gasping for air. As with most nightmares she still felt terrified, the fear coursing through her blood like venom. The more she thought about it the more the dream began to slip away, but I did nothing to ebb the terror in her system.  _It was just a dream…_  but she couldn't shake the feeling of being pinned underneath that monster and the sickly sweet hiss in her ear as it whispered to her.

To make things worse, it was still early in the night. Her throat was constricted and she had an unshakeable chill in her shoulders. Her teeth were chattering as she hugged her legs to her chest. On a positive note, she hadn't "cuddled up" next to Lucas, and he was still sleeping soundly nearby. She tried to calm herself down, but the jarring nightmare still felt very real. She could practically hear the creature's ragged breathing in her ear and she feared if she fell asleep it might happen again. Nightmares that realistic were powerful enough to draw her in again the second she shut her eyes. She pressed herself into the wall of the little shelter, hoping it would provide some sort of comfort. None came, it just made her shiver more intensly.

Maybe it was the fear, or maybe the cold had got to her. She didn't really know what made her do what she did next. She sidled closer to Lucas, still slightly paranoid that he might change into a wolf and try to eat her.

"Lucas," She whispered. He grunted, and rolled onto his back. "Lucas!" She whispered louder. She heard him shift, and then prop himself up, rubbing his eyes.

"What?" He growled, and Skye shuddered a little at the sound.

"I…Have you ever had a nightmare that freaks you out even when you know it wasn't real?"

"Uh...what?" His voice was still groggy with sleep.

"I don't know…I just had a really bad dream and it's freaking me out."

Lucas sighed, but Skye noticed he didn't have an answer right away. "What do you want me to do, hold your hand?" He finally responded, but it wasn't as tart as his usual retorts.

"Of course not," She snapped, but her voice was still shaky. She bit her lip, "I can't get it out of my head."

She waited for Lucas to reply, her heart still pounding with every sound from the forest. But his breathing was slow and deep. He obviously wasn't interested in hearing about her nightmare. The creeping chill of fear crept up her spine again as a breeze blew through the camp, turning her skin to gooseflesh. Her inner instinct kicked in, but it had surprisingly low resistance from her. Sure, she hated herself for doing it, but as she lay down next to Lucas, her fear melted away as the heat of his skin warmed her. A sharp cry from a Petrosaur caused her press herself against him even more, and she found that it soothed her. Her eyelids began to droop as she felt his chest move with every breath, comforted by the feeling. It reminded her of when she was little and it started to storm. She always ran into her parents' room and snuggled up between them. It felt safer to be between them, because being on her own seemed too scary. A tiny smile spread across her face as she felt his breath on her neck, but the monsters words still echoed in her brain.  _Never try to run. Never try to run._

"I told you." Lucas whispered, startling her. But instead of getting angry that he'd caught her I the act, she just laughed.

"Sleeping over there is more frightening than sleeping next to a psychopath." She murmured, nestled her head further into the grass. "But this is the only night."

"Unless you have more nightmares." Lucas murmured, his voice getting thick with sleep again.

"Hardy har." She growled lightheartedly, her own voice getting slurred.

She stayed awake until Lucas finally dropped off to sleep. Only when readjusted himself did he actually try to touch her, and even though he unconsciously looped an arm over her shoulder, Skye felt a feeling of being trapped. But she just shifted and his arm slid to the dip in her side just before her hip. She listened for a catch in his breathing that might give away that he was awake, but couldn't hear one. As her eyes closed, she felt the overwhelming sense of comfort she'd felt as a kid, but also realized that Lucas was fully functional now, and that meant it was time to leave. The thought made her sad in a way; she wasn't stupid, she realized that she was developing feelings for him. But revenge would always win out, she had no time for anything else. She turned herself to face him, hoping that he could forgive her for betraying him again.

Unable to stay awake any longer, she pressed her head to his chest, breathing out one last phrase before sleep overcame her. "I'm so sorry."


	13. Stockholm Syndrome

The hazy morning light sifted through the leafy canopy, basking Skye in clammy sunlight. She blinked awake, but wished she hadn't. There was a lump in her throat, and an awful feeling in her stomach. The night's events were a blur, but she had still managed to retain that it was her who had sidled up to Lucas. She felt like she'd betrayed herself, first with their near kiss and second with her nightmare. How childish could she be? She could handle shooting a man, twice, but she couldn't get back to sleep after a pathetic nightmare? And worse, the only remedy was sleeping next to  _him_? She felt waves of disgust roll through her as she crossed her arms.

She wanted to leave right then, but felt that Lucas would just see it as her not being able to come to terms with new "feelings". The very thought made her woozy. He needed to get the clear picture, she wasn't here to help him, she was here to end his reign over Terra Nova. She wasn't going to deny that Lucas could get very…intense, but if anything it was just her curiosity.

What she needed to know was, what made him tick? So far the biggest reaction she could get out of him is when she tried to hurt him. She needed to try and get inside that brain of his, and figure out how to predict him. That way she'd have an idea of what he might do when she finally made a break for it. A smile crept across her face; yes, that's what she'd do..

"It's hard to believe everything out here isn't out to kill you," Skye had almost forgotten Lucas was there, let alone that she was still close enough to feel his voice rumble through his chest. She turned, but his eyes were still shut as he spoke.

"That's one of the first things I learned out here. Not every dinosaur is there to hunt you down and tear you apart. Not every plant is poisonous," He laughed lightly, "Of course, it takes some trial and error to figure out which ones are."

He paused, his brow furrowing slightly. "I could have made it so the Sixers had the same technology as Terra Nova, you know. It wouldn't have been hard, my father's security techniques haven't changed since military school. I wanted them to have that aspect of survival that the colonists lack."

Skye cocked her head. "Why?"

Lucass eyes flicked open. "To prevent them from becoming like you."

Her mouth opened in stunned surprise. Lucas's lips twinged with a smirk, and Skye felt her frustration start up again. Couldn't he just pretend to be nice for once? She decided to ignore his snarky accusation, but Lucas would have none of it.

"You've been infected by my father's deluded grandeur. You see him as a hero, a protector. And that's how I know he's succeeded in brainwashing you. Believe me, he's good, he's had lots of practice—"

Skye propped herself up, scowling. "Commander Taylor isn't brainwashing us."

Lucas turned towards her with a smile. "You might be right. I think its closer to Stockholm Syndrome."

"What are you talking about?" Skye demanded, her voice rising in frustration.

"Are nonmilitary personnel ever allowed to leave the gates?" Lucas asked, his voice even.

"No, or course not!"

"Its dangerous out there!" They both said at the same time. Lucas's smile broadened. He folded his arm behind his head.

"My father makes it seem like some miracle that he survived all that time out in 'the ferocious jungle'. I've survived out here for five years."

"So you're smart enough to live on your own. Good job," Skye spat, "Dinosaurs are crawling all over the place."

"And how do you know? Have you ever seen them when they haven't been provoked?"

"Yes, actually. They tried to kill me, and a few Sixers!"

Lucas rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah, that. I think I'd be a little upset if someone drove rovers into my territory too. " He saw Skye's eyes narrow. "My father will do anything to keep control Bucket. He loves it too much. 'Don't leave the gates, there's dinosaurs that will eat you. Only soldiers get guns, just for your safety.' And you love him for it!" He rubbed his temple. "He's holding you prisoner, but all you want to do is win his affection." He flashed a steely glare. "You still want him to forgive you." Skye swallowed. Lucas sat up, scanning her face as he moved in closer. "He feeds off of it. He wants you to go crazy trying to prove yourself to him until you build your whole world with him as the foundation. Then," He snapped his fingers. "He's gone and your world crumbles at his feet. He's testing you Bucket, he wants to see how far you'll go. "

"No. You're wrong. " She growled.

Lucas was smiling that devilish psychotic smile, the same one he had on his face when he kissed her in the Sixer tent. She instinctively pulled away, fearing she might strike him if he got too close.

"Want to know why he won't let anyone leave, why he won't let anyone carry guns? Its not for your safety, its to stop you from rebelling. If you saw what was really out here you'd realize what he's doing. You  _hear_  the dinosaurs all the time, but those roars carry for miles. Do you know how long it took us to herd that Spinosaurus towards the colony? Dinosaurs don't want to be near Terra Nova. It's someone else's territory to them. It's all a joke. My father knows what to say to get people to believe him, and that's exactly what he's doing."

Skye shoved him away. "What, is this going to happen every morning?" She hissed. "I don't need your speeches, "You're just wasting your time."

"We'll see." Lucas shrugged.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Skye retorted.

"If my father can make you believe him, you'll have no idea what hit you when I'm through with you." Skye stiffened as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. He smiled, the exited the leafy cavern, leaving her stewing over his words.

What if he was right? What if Taylor really was trapping all of them? No, that was stupid. The colony would have fallen apart if it wasn't for Taylor. Besides, Jim Shannon would have seen through any charades Taylor was trying to pull. Even so…it was Taylor's decision to let the Shannon's stay, so Jim owes him one. She decided thinking about it too much was going to cause problems, and left the sleeping place.

* * *

Breakfast was as bland as ever, though Skye couldn't really shake Lucas's words from her brain. He was awfully convincing.  _He's probably trying to trick you again like he did yesterday_ , she thought. That seemed to quiet her mind for a moment.

"I think we'll be able to make it up to the edge of the treeline today." She announced nonchalantly.

Lucas shrugged, "Your call."

His tone made her weary. "Why haven't you taken off yet?" She asked suddenly, "You could have bolted last night and I wouldn't have known." She instantly regretted saying it, as it might actually make him leave.

"Like I said, I need to show you just how easy you are to manipulate."

"And how are you supposed to do that while you're telling me?"

He looked up, his eyes flashing. "Believe me, I have my ways." He looked back down to his mea with a smile on his face.

"Sure. Keep telling yourself that." Skye rolled her eyes, tossing the remnants of her breakfast into the surrounding bushes.

"You want me to show you?" He grinned slyly. Her eyes narrowed.

"You know what? Sure, show me." She sneered, gritting her teeth.

He shrugged, standing up. "If you say so." He slowly made his way over to her, and she made sure to glare at him as hatefully as she could. "I already know enough about you to figure out how to break you." He extended a hand, tracing his fingers along the side of her jaw. She tensed.

"It's like picking a safe. I find my first number, and then look for the second. But if I guess wrong, I have to start all over again until I find the right number. After the first two I move to the third and so on." He brought his forehead to hers, just the way he had back in the Sixer camp. "I found my first number the second you let me this close the first time." He drew away, cupping her face in his hands. Her heart was pounding,, every pulse was making her regret this more and more.

"Second number. You'd never let me this close a few days ago." He released her, then looped his arms around her waist. Her eyes widened as she was suddenly pressed against him, and she tried to pull away. Lucas smiled, loosening his grip. "But you have to feel like you have control. Once I 'pin' you, you back off. "

"I'm not a lab rat. I don't want to do this anymore."

"See? I can always tell when my father's tactics are coming out. You don't even know it, but he's put barriers around what you truly want. You want the freedom he won't give you Bucket. You've been taught that letting me in is a betrayal of that freedom, haven't you?"

She swallowed, her brain screaming for her to run away, and do it quickly. But she had to prove him wrong.

"He's built walls in your head that you haven't had to face until now." He tilted his head, pressing his nose to her cheek. Her eyes squeezed shut, but he didn't do anything. She gradually relaxed, though the feeling of his breath on her face was making her skin crawl. He chuckled.

"Looks like I've found the next number." She felt her blood boiling at his infuriating analogy.

"Don't get offended Bucket, my father's done quite a good job with you. I'm actually impressed."

"You're nervous." She murmured, her own sly grin forming on her face.

Even if it was only for a split second, Lucas faltered. He tensed, such a small muscle contraction she wouldn't have noticed if he wasn't mashed up against her.

"What makes you say that?" His voice was more gravelly now.

"While you were busy trying to 'crack my code', I've been doing a little lockpicking myself." She chuckled, "Actually, its kind of hard to believe there's a human under all that hate for your father. But I can feel it, you have no idea what you're doing, do you?" She pulled her head back, looking him in the eye. His gaze was stony, and it made her smile bigger. "Etime you start making some accusation, your heart starts beating faster. While you're trying to figure out my numbers, you're exposing yourself. You're trying to con me into thinking that your father is an evil man. That you're  _so_  good, and that I have feelings for you."

His pupils contracted for an instant, but he quickly recovered from whatever he was thinking. She smiled.

"I've grown up around boys Lucas, I know what you really want." She looped her arms loosely around his neck and let out a laugh. "See? You're heart's going off again." She hissed, feeling his pulse quicken. "Boys are so much easier to manipulate than girls," She brought her lips close enough to his that she could feel the warmth of his skin. "All I have to do is get close enough, and I've got you right where I want you."

Now it was his turn to smile. "It's a nice thought, but in order to 'have me where you want me', you need to have backing. Your brain is saying that I disgust you, so you won't actually do it. That's the difference." He tightened his grip around her and she leaned back, making sure their lips didn't touch. She started to fidget, trying to wriggle free.

"Don't ever try and play me again Bucket. It won't end well." He planted a kiss on her forehead, sending her mind reeling. This was going to be harder than she thought.


	14. IOU

After their confrontation, Skye decided it was her turn for the silent treatment. It seemed like every time she opened her mouth it either provoked him or made him feel the urge to invade her personal space. The back and forth battle for dominance was wearing her thin, just looking at him made her nerves fray. If he were weaker, she would just leave him there for a few hours to go refresh herself; but now she was afraid if she left him alone for more than twenty minutes he'd have found a way to build a gun out of sticks by the time she returned.

For now, she'd have to settle with being distracted with hiking. It was helpful that she was leading the way because that way she could only hear him crunching along behind her, and didn't have to look at that irritating smirk of his. The worst part was that he seemed completely content with her not saying anything, and even laughed when she sharply changed directions without warning him.

The more she walked, the more her stomach made it clear that she needed to eat. She ignored it, getting to the treeline before nightfall was more important than some scrappy meal. The terrain was roughing up the higher they went, but she wasn't about to linger and let Lucas think she'd let hunger get in the way of her mission. He didn't even seem winded for a guy who couldn't even stand up a few days ago. He just chugged along behind, further infuriating her.

As the rocky outcroppings began to spring up Skye began feeling a little dizzy. Her legs began to wobble, but she flatly refused to let her physical problems become her mental problems. The treeline couldn't be that far off, could it? She raked through her brain, trying to estimate how far they're hiked since that morning. But her thoughts began to blur, along with her vision. She looked up to the sky, and the sun seemed to indicate it was still early in the afternoon. Though she hated to say it, they were probably only hallway there. The thought made her heart sink, and she automatically slowed. Her breaths were shallow as she stopped, bending over slightly to catch her breaths.

Lucas laughed as he came up behind her. "Terra Nova may have more oxygen than 2149, but elevation still causes oxygen asphyxiation. But you're okay, aren't you, Bucket?" He sneered lightly, slapping her on the shoulder. She shot him a glare, trying to catch her breath before starting again. She felt the blood rush to her head and shut her eyes, trying to drive it away.

"Dammit Skye, get up." She opened her eyes drowsily. She felt like she'd just woken up from a long nap, but how had she fallen asleep? She was flat on her back, staring into the pale blue sky above. Lucas was suddenly looming over her, and she furrowed her brow in confusion.

"Why did you let me fall asleep?" She snapped venomously. Lucas cocked an eyebrow.

"You just fell down," His eyes flashed, mirroring her confusion, "Did you just faint?"

"What are you talking about?" She snarled, struggling to stand up again. The world started to spin again, and she felt Lucas ease her back onto the ground.

"When's the last time you drank anything?" He asked, and Skye just scowled back at him, remembering that she was supposed to be avoiding conversation. But as she thought over his question, the pieces began to fall into place. One minute she just had that feeling she sometimes got when she stood up too fast, then next she was on the floor. No memory of falling, or even swaying for that matter. All she knew was that it had happened fast, and that scared her.

"So not recently then. Fantastic." Lucas growled, scanning the woods around them. She realized that he looked on edge, like something was chasing them.

"What is it?" She permitted herself to ask.

"While  _you_  were busy pretending to be focused,  _I_  was looking for territory markers. Looks like the hills aren't completely barren after all." He shot her a disapproving glance, and her scowl returned. "I figured we'd be out of here before it noticed, but it looks like that isn't going to be the case."

"Before  _what_  noticed?"

Lucas shut his eyes, sighing deeply. "A Rajasaurus. I doubt Terra Nova has come in contact with one before."

"Try me, I've been OTG dozens of times."

"Don't." Lucas snapped, "Don't act like you know everything that lives out here. " He was getting angry again, and Skye decided she wasn't in much of a state to take him on.

"Can we move now?" She asked, interrupting the prickling silence. Lucas's eyes narrowed. Suddenly he hoisted her up, and she nearly threw up as he slung her over his good shoulder. She gave him a good whack, her sense spinning. He didn't seem to have noticed the extra weight; he just walked on as though he didn't realize he was carrying her.

They made it about a hundred feet before Skye started feeling breakfast creeping up her throat.

"Put me down, I'm gonna throw up." She groaned. He gingerly placed her in some reeds, and she squeezed her eyes shut, fighting off the nausea. It was working, but slowly.

"Look, I'm going to get something for you to eat." Lucas announced, though her stomach flipped at the thought of food. "Stay hidden. Don't move, don't speak, don't even think. If anything comes, play dead, got it?" She didn't respond, still trying to keep breakfast down. " _Got it_?" He demanded. She nodded briskly and soon only the sounds of the forest surrounded her.

Her brain finally shut down, unable to cope with the altitude and the nausea at the same time. It felt like she'd only blinked, but when she opened her eyes again the sun was setting, and she was surrounded by boulders.

"No fire tonight." Lucas announced, catching that she was awake. She rubbed her eyes, her stomach still feeling queasy. A tiny pile of food was sitting next to her, and she dug in without another word. Lucas leaned against one of the boulders on the other side of her, leaning his head back to try and get some sleep.

Skye finished her dinner in a matter of minutes, and even sucked her fingers to get any remaining juice. Her stomach still wanted more, but she knew it must've taken Lucas a long time to find that much food up in the altitude. She looked up, a thought running through her head.

"Hey." She whispered forcefully. He blinked an eye open, looking at her. "Did you eat anything?" She asked. He smiled, and then shut his eyes again. A wave of guilt washed over her. Why hadn't she thought to ask that before she ate everything in sight?  _Because you don't owe him anything,_  her brain hissed back. "Sorry," She apologized, looking at the ground. He just chuckled.

"You could always repay me." He finally murmured. She looked up, his eyes now locked with hers. It sent a shiver down her spine, and she fought the overwhelming urge to look away. "By showing me you have backing." He smirked, and then leaned back again. She scowled as she realized what he meant.

"You know, you might be tolerable if you would stop trying to get me to kiss you." She growled.

"Is that so?" He chuckled.

"Yeah. You made sure I was okay, and I have to thank you for that." She tried to sound as nonchalant about it as she could, but she knew she was failing miserably. Her heart was pounding again; it was one of those rare moments where she actually felt comfortable around him. Like they could have been friends outside of all of this.

"So why don't you just do it?" He asked suddenly, his eyes snapping open again. She shrugged, laughing lightly.

"That's not how I repay a favor."

"Really. How does the wise and powerful Bucket repay a favor?"

"Well, I sometimes take bullets out of people."

Lucas snorted. "That seemed more about leverage to me."

She faltered for a moment, but quickly recovered. "Okay, how does curing a fever sound?"

"Fine, except that I saved you from a flood so you can't use that one now. " His voice twinged with amusement. Skye found herself genuinely smiling, slightly taken aback by his normalcy. She couldn't help but think that this was the real Lucas, the one that barely ever glanced the surface.

"I still think you're the one who owes me. " She laughed, getting comfortable for the long night ahead. She wasn't tired at all, but she could tell Lucas was completely drained.

"Everyone seems to think that." He murmured. He was trying to stay awake, but kept nodding off.

She felt a prick of pity for him, sensing that he thought that his statement was true. She rolled onto her back, watching as the stars began to speckle the sky.

Lucas shifted, turning towards her. "Night Bucket." He muttered drowsily.

She chuckled. "Goodnight Lucas." She watched as he surrendered to sleep, and found herself feeling bubbly for the first time since she left the colony. She actually felt happy, and Lucas hadn't done anything to ruin it. She could only hope it was something she could feel again, but she wasn't sure if that meant getting back home or not.


	15. Rajasaurus Rex

Skye was wide awake as the night progressed, picking out constellations and wondering trying to imagine the sky before she came to Terra Nova. Some people said that the constellations from 2149 weren't even in the same positions because of the time difference, but Skye had trouble figuring out how they even knew what the stars looked like above the godforsaken land in the future. The world of 2149 was so caked with grime and smog that the sky was either the dark sludge color of night, or the disgusting mustard color of the day.

After seeing Terra Nova, she couldn't understand why Lucas would be so willing to destroy it. He must really hate his father to be wiling to destroy such a beautiful place. She never realized how much better Terra Nova was until he threatened to take it away. What would have happened if Lucas had succeeded in killing his father? If she hadn't stepped in? It was a scary thought. Now, both of them were alive, and she was the only thing between them. But instead of being intent on ending Lucas, she found herself conflicted. He certainly deserved to be punished for everything he did to her and to the colony, but was his death really going to solve anything? He was insanely smart, emphasis on the insane, but Terra Nova could really use a brain like his, focused on the right things of course.

The hard part was finding a way to get him to agree with it. It was nearly impossible; Taylor and Lucas seemed to have a sixth sense that could detect when the other got within radar. Maybe Lucas could get assigned to an outpost, that way he'd be on his own, but with the stuff he needed to get things done for the colony. Then again, he'd also have the tools to help bring it down. She continued to brainstorm as she stared at the stars, hearing Lucas shift every so often in his sleep.

Eventually her eyelids began to grow heavy, and she finally shut her eyes. Lucas's breathing seemed to get louder in her ears and it brought a hint of a smile to her lips. Then she heard a snort. A wave of hot air rolled over her and her eyes flew open. That wasn't Lucas's breathing at all! She dared herself to sit up, slowly as not to startle whatever was there. Without the trees, the moonlight was bright enough to see, but she quickly wished it wasn't. A dinosaur snout that looked reminiscent of a Toucan beak stuck between the boulders directly behind Lucas. Its nostrils flared, and it breathed another gush of hot air. Its jaws parted, and Skye found herself only meters away from a mouthful of dagger-like teeth. She thought it might have been an Allosaurus, but it was too brightly colored. The top of its shout, running back to its head was a rusty red, and beneath was a vibrant yellow with black streaks that reminded her of a tiger. _Fitting._  She stayed perfectly still as it continued to sniff through the wedge of space between the boulders.

She stiffened as it turned its muzzle a bit. She saw its tail swipe high over the boulder's edge, and figured it was about eight feet tall, judging by the size of its jaws. It knew something was behind the rocky barriers, she only hoped that it didn't think it smelled good. It tried to shove its nose in more, and Skye nearly screamed as its jaws knocked against the back of Lucas's head. It grunted in surprise, and she watched in horror as its jaws parted for a curious bite.

Before she knew what happened, she was tackling Lucas to the ground. Her hand flew to his mouth, and he nearly tore her fingers off as he was jarred awake. His eyes were wide with surprise and fear, but Skye was absorbed in the sound of jaws snapping shut behind her. The dinosaur let out a disgruntled growl, and she cast a glance at Lucas, who seemed to understand what was going on. She removed her hand quickly, motioning behind her.

"That's the Rajasaurus I told you about." He breathed, craning his head to try and get a look at it. The Rajasaurus was furiously trying to get between the boulders and Skye felt her heart hammering around in her chest so loud she was sure that it could hear.

"What are we going to do?" She whispered shakily.

"You can get off of me, for starters." He hissed. Skye realized that not only was she still practically on top of him, but she was clinging to him for dear life. She hurriedly backed away, but still kept close in case the hungry dino managed to get ahold of her.

Lucas watched for a few seconds as it tried to nose its way in, then flicked his gaze to her.

"Where's your knife?" He asked.

A jolt ran down her spine, this was the question she hoped he'd never ask. She knew the second that knife was in his hands, she might not get it back. He was perfectly capable of making some story about losing it, until he slit her throat when he got angry.

"I-I don't—"

He was on her in an instant, slamming her into the boulder behind her,  _hard_. She felt the prick of tears in her eyes as the pain radiated from her back, but also because she'd somehow hoped he'd changed.

"I'm going to ask again. Where's the knife?" His eyes were scorching any shred of resistance from her.

"Backpack." She managed. He instantly released his grip, causing her to collapse onto the ground. Her lower back was screaming in pain, it felt as though someone had shoved a rod through her vertebrae.

"God dammit…" She squeezed her eyes shut, sending tears rolling down her cheeks. She rolled onto her side, and felt only slight relief. She knew it wasn't broken, but it sure felt like it. And to think a few hours ago he would have…well she didn't know what he would have done, but it wouldn't have been this.

She opened her eyes to see Lucas holding the knife over his head. He swung down with all of his might, and the blade plunged cleanly into the base of the Rajasaurus's muzzle.

A thunderous scream rattled the mountainside, and it desperately tried to free itself, but Lucas had other plans. He held on to the knife, and yanked it towards him. Skye couldn't help but notice how strong he was; resisting any dinosaur was quite a feat. Then she realized that those same arms that could hold a huge lizard were the same ones that just threw her against a rock wall.

She couldn't handle seeing the blood spray from the Rajasaur, its desperate cries were already tearing away at her heartstrings. It was dangerous, sure, but it was just being a dinosaur, and now it was going to die for it. She turned away, and found herself feeling sick. Not because of the dino guts, or even her back pain, but the bloodlust in Lucas's eyes. It was the same look he had as he was going after his father. She heard another cry of pain and finally threw her hands over her ears, but tears were already streaming down her cheeks.

* * *

The muffled sounds of the fight finally stopped after what seemed like hours, but Skye didn't move. Her back was still throbbing, and she didn't want to know what Lucas looked like right then. She wanted to remember him as the normal Lucas, the Lucas that wished her goodnight and scavenged up a dinner. She knew if she turned around he'd be covered in blood, but it would be nothing compared to the look in his eyes.

Fear was still coursing through her blood as she uncovered her ears, and her heart skipped a beat as she heard his breathing right next to her.

"Get away from me." She demanded, her voice shaky from crying.

"You're hurt." His sounded like he was wounded himself, but Skye was not about to help him again.

"You're damn right I'm hurt!" She snapped, "Don't you dare act like you didn't know what you were doing!"

He stood up slowly, but she didn't look to see what he was doing. He moved behind her, but she didn't show him any signs that she was paying the slightest attention.

"Hold still." He lightly touched the base of her back and she inhaled sharply as a wave of pain ran up her spine. She lurched up, swinging around and smacking him in the face. She recoiled in disgust as her palm became covered in dinosaur blood. Lucas's lip twitched in contempt, but he seemed too weak to retaliate.

"Get. Away." She snarled, her back protesting at her sudden movement. His eyes were blazing, but he didn't say anything. She forced herself to stand, but nearly fell over as her lower vertebrae crumpled from her weight. She steadied herself, and walked past him with a slow, nearly limping gait.

The scene was everything she'd imagined. The Rajasaurus was nearly split open, and an ocean of blood was pooled at her feet as she headed kneeled down next to the corpse. Her knife was still wedged in the poor creature, and it took every ounce of strength for her to pull it out. Finally it came free, and she stumbled backwards. Loosing her balance on the slick blood, she slipped and landed sharply on the rocky floor, crying out in pain. It was excruciating, but she managed to crawl over to her pack and dump out some pain pills, fresh tears spilling out uncontrollably. She swallowed three of them, the maximum dosage she thought she could handle.

The little clearing had an eerie shine in the moonlight and Lucas looked like part of the landscape, it seemed everything was covered in a thick layer if blood. She wanted to curl up in a ball and go back in time. Maybe if she had just moved Lucas out of the way a little bit, it would have gone away and Lucas never would have had to wake up.  _Quit kidding yourself. It just would have happened tomorrow morning._ She thought somberly. She was barely aware of Lucas as he sat down next to her, her breaths were shaky and quick, not even the darkness could disguise that she was in tears.

He took ahold of the bottle of pain pills in her hand, and she flinched as he grazed he fingers. She reluctantly released it to him, but didn't say a word. He popped off the cap, extracting a single pill and swallowing it, placing the bottle back in her pack.

"You don't know what they do," His voice finally broke the silence, "They can climb up hills better than a mountain goat. It would have climbed right over—"

"I'm not crying over a dinosaur you idiot," Her voice trembled. She wiped the tears from her eyes, sniffling as she did so. "You know, I was actually looking forward to tomorrow when we went to sleep," She let out a weak laugh, "It was one of those times where I actually thought everything could work out." She looked at him, but he turned away, his face as sober as ever. "And then go do that. You  _hurt_  me Lucas. Then you come over and pretend to try and fix me up? Why?"

"When you told me you were ready to help me destroy my father, I was so glad I got you to see my way. To see the things he does to you and the rest of Terra Nova. I was actually proud of you. Then you betray me. Then you shoot me. Then," He turned, and their eyes locked. "You come over and fix me up. Or were _you_  pretending?"

Skye swallowed, biting her lip. "No, I wasn't pretending."

"Did I ever accuse you of pretending?" His voice was level, and for once she couldn't find a hint of anger.

"No." She replied. An unsettling feeling of guilt began to rise up inside her, and it made her shift uncomfortably.

"You hurt me, then I let you fix me. I hurt you, so let me repay the favor."

"You aren't supposed to hurt me in the first place." She murmured.

"You were going to get us both killed. Another second and that thing could have been in here. You gave me no choice."

"There's always a choice."

"Then why did you shoot me?" The question lingered in the chilly night air, and Skye could find no response. He'd caught her in his snare again. She blinked slowly, then turned her back to him and pulled up the back of her shirt, keeping a careful eye on Lucas.

His eyes flashed and Skye guessed it looked as bad as it felt. He gently touched her spine and she winced. He tapped the bone sharply with his finger and she felt a jolt of pain. He moved higher and tapped again. It hurt, but a lot less.

"Did that hurt?" He asked, staring intently at her back.

"Yes," She hissed, "but not as much as the first time."

"Well its not broken then," He announced, "Just bruised." He leaned back, evidently finished with the "fixing".

"That's it?" She turned, biting her lip as her spine protested.

"I can't really do anything for a bruise, you've already taken pills."

"So that's fixing it huh?" Her eyes narrowed slightly, she sighed, and turned back to the boulders in front of her.

"Well, there's always one thing…" She could hear him smiling as he spoke.

She rolled her eyes, shaking her head. He could go from a murderous lunatic—she froze in mid thought as his lips pressed against her lower back, sending an electric shock running through her bones. She opened her mouth to snap at him, but her breath caught in her throat as he kissed her again, his lips tracing her spine. The pain melted away, replaced by confusion. She found herself waiting for him to kiss her again, her heart pumping wildly in her chest. His stubble tickled her back, giving her goosebumps. He finally pulled away, and she found herself floundering for something to say.

She didn't have to think for long before she was caught off guard again as his lips met her neck. She shivered, resting her cheek on his forehead. He smiled on her skin, but she didn't care that he'd finally cracked her code. She shifted herself to face him, meeting his eyes. She pressed herself against him as he tenderly kissed her collarbone, his lips lingering on her skin just enough to make her want more. She looped her arms around his neck.

"Kiss me," She breathed, parting her lips.

He moved in, but their lips barely touched. She leaned in, but he pulled away just as much.

"Kiss me," She growled, weaving her fingers in his hair.

He chuckled lightly. She could  _taste_ him, she was that close. He pressed his forehead to lifted his hand to her face, running his thumb along her bottom lip. She nibbled at it, tasting a tangy mix of sweat and blood. His voice was smooth and husky as he spoke,

"But Bucket, I'm only pretending."


End file.
